Antibiotics & resistance Flashcards
(14 cards)
define antibiotics
antimicrobials active against bacteria
what is the difference between broad and narrow spectrum antibiotics
broad target a wide range of bacteria
narrow target specific types
how do antibiotics avoid harming the host
by targeting the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
what do inhibitors of protein synthesis target in bacteria
the ribosome (70S, with 50S and 30S subunits)
what do inhibitors of transcription target
RNA polymerase
how do cell wall inhibitors work
inhibit cross linking between polypeptide chains
what do inhibitors of DNA replication target
inhibit DNA gyrase and prevent supercoiling of DNA
what do inhibitors of membrane function target
interact with cell membrane and cause changes in structure and leakage of cell contents
what is antibiotic resistance
acquired ability of a bacterium to resist the effects of a chemotherapeutic agent to which it is normally susceptible
what are some problems associated with antibiotic resistance
- huge economic cost
- resistance arises quickly and spreads rapidly
- no new classes of antibiotics developed recently
how can a bacterium be resistant to antibiotics
- may be able to alter the antibiotic to an inactive form
- be impermeable to the antibiotic
- can modify the target of the antibiotic
- can develop a resistant biochemical pathway
what are ESKAPE pathogens
a group of pathogens that can ‘escape’ antibiotics, many are multidrug resistant
(ESKAPE stands for first letter of each)
why has antibiotic resistance increased so rapidly
- widespread use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture
- exposure to sub-lethal doses
- incorrect prescribing
how can we control antibiotic resistance
- immunisation to prevent infection
- diagnose and treat infection correctly
- prevent pathogen transmission
