Bactericidal vs Bacteriostatic Antibiotics
Antibiotics will function to either:
1. Destroy or Kill Bacteria - Antibiotics that destroy or kill bacteria are called
bactericidal.
2. Stop or Slow Down Bacterial Growth. - Antibiotics that halt or slow the
growth of bacteria are called bacteriostatic.
The Major Categories of Antibiotics
Narrow-Spectrum Antibiotics - These antibiotics function to control the
growth of only a narrow range of microorganisms.
Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics - These antibiotics function to control the
growth of very large ranges of microorganisms.Selective Toxicity Let's think about the idea of antibiotics for a minute. When a person has a
bacterial infection, the bacteria are alive. We want to kill the bacteria, but not the
host! It is also a good idea not to kill off too many of the "good" bacteria living
inside that person either. So we need the antibiotic to be selectively toxic.
An antibiotic or antimicrobial drug that exhibits "selective toxicity" will only
kill or inhibit the growth of certain microbial targets, while leaving the host and
non-targeted microbes alone. The way to achieve selective toxicity is to ensure
that the target of the drug is only found in the organism that you want to kill and
not in the host. Humans (and animals) are eukaryotic organisms, whereas bacteria
are prokaryotic organisms. This means that there are a lot of potential "targets"
that bacteria have that humans don't.
There are far fewer drugs (antimicrobials) available that target non-bacterial
microbes like fungi, parasites, and viruses, because there are fewer unique targets
to choose from.
Antibiotics will function to either:
1. Destroy or Kill Bacteria - Antibiotics that destroy or kill bacteria are called
bactericidal.
2. Stop or Slow Down Bacterial Growth. - Antibiotics that halt or slow the
growth of bacteria are called bacteriostatic.
The Major Categories of Antibiotics
Narrow-Spectrum Antibiotics - These antibiotics function to control the
growth of only a narrow range of microorganisms.
Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics - These antibiotics function to control the
growth of very large ranges of microorganisms.Selective Toxicity Let's think about the idea of antibiotics for a minute. When a person has a
bacterial infection, the bacteria are alive. We want to kill the bacteria, but not the
host! It is also a good idea not to kill off too many of the "good" bacteria living
inside that person either. So we need the antibiotic to be selectively toxic.
An antibiotic or antimicrobial drug that exhibits "selective toxicity" will only
kill or inhibit the growth of certain microbial targets, while leaving the host and
non-targeted microbes alone. The way to achieve selective toxicity is to ensure
that the target of the drug is only found in the organism that you want to kill and
not in the host. Humans (and animals) are eukaryotic organisms, whereas bacteria
are prokaryotic organisms. This means that there are a lot of potential "targets"
that bacteria have that humans don't.
There are far fewer drugs (antimicrobials) available that target non-bacterial
microbes like fungi, parasites, and viruses, because there are fewer unique targets
to choose from.
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