Mo - History of antibiotics Flashcards
Against which group of bacteria does salvarsan work?
Spirochetes
Why can the low cost of an antibiotic be a problem?
Because it can lead to overuse
Against which group of bacteria does prontosil work?
Streptococci
Why is it needed to do biphasic killing in the treatment of tuberculosis? (explain complicated)
Because there’s two types of bacteria when infected with TB. One type is growing very fast and is sensitive to antibiotics. The other type is persistent cells, which survive in the presence of antibiotics. You can only kill the persistent cells with prolonged treatment.
On a scientific level, why is there an antibiotic innovation gap? (explain simple)
Because low hanging fruit has been picked, if people discover fungi they usually have already been discovered.
On an economical level, why is there an antibiotic innovation gap? (explain simple)
Antibiotics represent a poor return on investment relative to other classes of drugs, especially because promising drugs will only be used for problematic cases
On a regulatory level, why is there an antibiotic innovation gap? (explain simple)
The pathways to antibiotic approval have become more difficult
What does Paul Ehrlich say you need to develop new antimicrobials? (4)
Money, patience, intelligence, luck
What started the golden age of antibiotics?
The Waksman screening platform
