Antibiotics

Antibiotics: Antibiotics are drugs used to cure diseases caused by bacteria. There are different kinds of antibiotics which attack different processes and structures in bacteria to kill them or to stop their growth. Bacteria, as you know, are single-celled organisms. One type of antibiotic stops the production of a compound needed for the growth of the cell wall. This prevents the cell wall from expanding when the other parts of the cell are growing. As a result, the cell bursts, which kills the bacteria. Penicillin, an important antibiotic, works in this way.

Antibiotics do not work on viruses :

The viruses are quite different from bacteria.

Viruses are not made up of cells , so we cannot target their walls.

They do not have cytoplasm and cellular organelles where biochemical reactions occur. Since these biochemical pathways of infection are the tragets of antibiotics, antibiotics do not work on the viruses.

Production of antibiotics:

Antibiotics are produced on the lage scale by the fermentation process. This is a chemical process which is induced by microorganisms in a large tank. A large tank contains the growth medium that provides nutrition for the microorganisms growth. After the completion of antibiotic production, they are extracted anad purified through multiple physical processes.Lastly, the purified antibiotics are converted into the crystal form.

Antimicrobial therpy:

It is used to destroy or to prevent hte microorganism's growth. Two types of antimicrobial therapies are available : Microbicidal therapy(used to kill micorbes) and Microstatic therapy(used to prevent micorbes).

Examples of antibiotics:

Penicillin - They are used to treat infections of the middle ear, sinuses,stomach, intestine, kidney and bladder.They are used for treating pneumonia,blood infections etc.

Streptomycin: Used against tuberculosis, plague and rat bite fever.

Side effects of antibiotics :

Digestive system problem.

Adverse effect on immunity.

Increased risk of metabolic disorders.

Risk of diabetes

Mouth sores,ulcers and blisters.

Antibiotics are characterized by their range of effectiveness and their mode of ation against the pathogen.

1. Broad spectrum antibiotics: These antibiotics can kill a wide range of bacteria

2. Narrow spectrum antibiotics: These antibiotics are effective against only few types of bacteria. To kill a specific pathogen, you havr to use narrow spectrum antibiotics which are specific for the disease.

Sample Questions

(More Questions for each concept available in Login)

Question : 1

Making anti-viral drugs is more difficult than making anti-bacterial medicines because____________________
A. Viruses make use of host machinery
B. Viruses are on border line of living and non-living
C. Viruses have very few biochemical mechanisms of their own
D. Viruses have a protein coat
Right Option : C
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Question : 2

How antibiotics can be produced ?
A. Distillation	B. Oxidation of chemicals	C. Fermentation	D. Pigmentation of chemicals
Right Option : C
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Question : 3

Which of the following are correct : (a) Penicillin are used to treat infections of the middle ear, sinuses, stomach, intestine, kidney and bladder. (b) Penicillin are used against tuberculosis, plague and rat bite fever.
A. Only (a) is correct.	B. Only (b) is correct.	C. Both (a) and (b) are correct.	D. None of these.
Right Option : A
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