Question

Microbiology Mini-Tutorial: Principles of Antibiotic Design

Answer 1

Note: This is a reference for educational/studying purposes, not a question, please save all comments or questions for the end.

Answer 2

\({\bf{Basic~Terminology}}\)
- bacteriostatic: stops bacterial growth
- bacteriocidal: kills bacteria
- sterilize: kills microbial life, including edospores
- disinfectant: kills vegetative cells
- antiseptic: a disinfectant that is safe for skin
- sanitize: reduce the microbial population to safe levels
- minimum inhibitory concentration: lowest level of antiobiotic that inhibits growth
- minimal bactericidal concentration: lowest level that kills the test orgnanism
- broad spectrum: antibiotic that is effective against a wide range of species
- narrow spectrum: antibiotic that is only effective against 1 or a few species

Answer 3

\({\bf{Factors~to~Consider}}\)
- toxicity to humans
- what the antibiotic targets, ex: lipid A, peptidoglycan, transcription/translation/replication
- how to administer
- molecular weight
- solubility
- shelf life/cost/distribution issues

\({\bf{Brief~History~of~Antibiotic~Design}}\)
- 1860's: first formal sterilization: Joseph Lister, used carbolic acid to reduce infections after surgery, fun fact: that's where the brand Listerine gets its name from
- 1888: first antibiotic pyocyanin is purified to homogeneity; used in experiments w/ Pseudonomas aeruginose
- 1910: Elrich creates salvarsan which was used to treated syphilis, one of its active ingredients is Supermannic which is why it's not used anymore
- 1930's: sulfadrug protosil, used to inhibit folic acid biosynthesis
- 1940's: invention of penicillin

Answer 4

This is the end of my tutorial; I hope you found it helpful. If you have any ∗relevant∗ comments or questions I will attempt to address them to the best of my ability.
Thank you for reading!

Answer 5

oh whoops almost forgot:

\({\bf{Mechanisms~of~Antibiotic~Resistance}}\)
- eflux of the antibiotics (removing them from the system)
- changing/masking the target that is affected
- lowering metabolic activity "persistors"
- degrading the antibiotic, ex. beta-lacatamse for penicillin; Clavulanic acid inhibits beta-lactamase
- biofilm formation