Introduction: Antimicrobial AgentsAlthough they are often over-prescribed, antimicrobial agents are a critical defense against microbial infections. The sources of microbial infections include bacteria, viruses, funguses, and parasites. Therefore, the key categories of antimicrobial pharmaceutical agents are antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoal, and antiviral drugs. Sometimes the terms antibiotic, antimicrobial, and anti-infective are used interchangeably, but it is crucial to differentiate between the type of infection in order to choose the appropriate antimicrobial agent (Leekha, Terrell, & Edson, 2011, p. 156). Incorrect treatment can lead to deleterious results including resistance. There are several different ways to classify antimicrobial agents, and likewise, different methods of determining whether the infection is related to a virus, bacteria, or otherwise.
Classifying Antimicrobial Agents
One method of classifying antimicrobial agents is via their chemical composition or molecular structure. Another method of classifying antimicrobial agents is via their mechanism of action, and a third method is their level of importance overall in human medicine, which pragmatic implications for public policy, public health policy, and healthcare procurement and logistics (“Categorization of Antimicrobial Drugs Based on Importance in Human Medicine,” 2009). Antimicrobials can also be classified based on their antibacterial activity, referring to features like mechanisms of resistance, sensitivity,...
Antimicrobial Agents in Household Use: Triclosan Describe how Triclosan works on a molecular level. Explain how Triclosan differs from soap and bleach in its antimicrobial activity. Triclosan blocks the active site of the enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase enzyme (ENR), this is the vital enzyme in the synthesis of fatty acid in bacteria (Levy et a, 1999). Blocking this active site by triclosan leads to the inhibition of the enzyme thus preventing the
Antimicrobial Agents Bacterial infections are caused by bacteria and viral infections are caused by viruses and though the symptoms of these infections may seem similar, the causes are different—which means that treating them will also require unique methods. The categories of antimicrobial agents include antibacterial drugs, antifungal drugs, antiviral agents and antiparasitic drugs. A common antibacterial drug is Zithromax which will stop the pathogenesis of the bacteria. A common antiviral drug
Categories of Antimicrobial Agents Antimicrobial agents refer to a broad classification of molecules that either kill or suppress the growth or multiplication of bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and helmiths (Greenwood & Irving, 2012; Musumeci & Puglisi, 2013). According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016), antimicrobials can be classified in various ways such as which microorganisms they target (such as antibacterial versus antiviral agents), their mechanisms or methods of intervention (such
Efficiency of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transfer Mechanisms Upon Exposure to Triclosan Triclosan has become the latest buzz word in the grocery store. It is being hailed as the ultimate biocide and finds its way into many everyday products such as toothpaste and hand soap. Mass media produced a great amount of hype and convinced the general public that this was necessary to protect them from potentially harmful or even fatal bacteria.
Psuedomonas Aeruginosa Pseudomonas aeruginosa Epidemiology The Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic killer that takes advantage of people suffering from medical problems (Van Delden and Iglewski, 1998).For this reason, P. aeruginosa is one of the most common nosocomial infection that occurs in hospitals. P. aeruginosa is responsible for causing 16% of pneumonia cases, 12% of urinary tract infections, 10% of bloodstream infections, and 8% of surgical infections due to hospital
Phytochemistry: Research on Isolation, Identification, and Purification of New Antimicrobial Compounds from Common and Available Herbs in the Mediterranean Area and in the UK Since ancient times the healing powers of plants has been sought and plant derived substances "have recently become of great interest owing to their versatile applications." (Das, Tiwari, and Shrivastava, 2010, p.104) Medicinal plants have been used historically as remedies for human diseases and as such "offer
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