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Questions and Answers
What is the main goal of antimicrobial chemotherapy?
What is the main goal of antimicrobial chemotherapy?
- To promote the synthesis of peptidoglycan in bacteria
- To prevent all types of microbial infections
- To enhance the growth of host cells
- To destroy infectious agents without harming the host's cells (correct)
Which statement accurately describes antibiotics?
Which statement accurately describes antibiotics?
- They are produced by microorganisms and can inhibit or kill other microbes (correct)
- They must be taken intravenously to be effective
- They can only destroy gram-positive bacteria
- They are substances that harm both microbes and host cells
How do polymyxins affect bacterial cells?
How do polymyxins affect bacterial cells?
- They interact with membrane phospholipids causing leakage of cellular components (correct)
- They interfere with nucleic acid synthesis
- They block protein synthesis during replication
- They inhibit the synthesis of peptidoglycan
What is a characteristic of Penicillin G?
What is a characteristic of Penicillin G?
What function does Rifampin serve in antimicrobial treatment?
What function does Rifampin serve in antimicrobial treatment?
Flashcards
Antibiotic
Antibiotic
A substance naturally produced by microorganisms that can kill or inhibit other microorganisms.
Selective Toxicity
Selective Toxicity
The ability of a drug to harm infectious microbes without harming the host's cells.
Peptidoglycan
Peptidoglycan
A rigid structural molecule found in bacterial cell walls providing protection against hypotonic environments.
Polymyxins (antibiotic)
Polymyxins (antibiotic)
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Rifampin (antibiotic)
Rifampin (antibiotic)
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Study Notes
Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
- The goal is simple: administer a drug to destroy the infectious agent without harming the host cells. This is a difficult goal to achieve.
- Antibiotics are substances produced by microorganisms that inhibit or destroy other microorganisms.
- Drugs should be selectively toxic—killing or inhibiting the growth of microbes without harming the host.
Cell Wall Structure and Antibiotics
- Many bacterial cell walls contain peptidoglycan, which protects the cell from hypotonic environments.
- Polymyxins interact with membrane phospholipids, causing protein and nucleic acid leakage, particularly in gram-negative bacteria. Daptomycin is selective for gram-positive bacteria.
Antibiotic Mechanisms
- Antimicrobial drugs can interfere with nucleic acid synthesis, replication, or transcription.
- Many drugs inhibit protein synthesis by interacting with the ribosome-mRNA complex.
- Penicillin G is a narrow-spectrum antibiotic.
- Polymyxins are a mixture of polypeptides, effective against gram-negative bacteria but toxic to kidneys.
- Rifampin disrupts nucleic acids by blocking RNA polymerase.
- Tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics with a complex 4-ring structure.
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