Antimicrobial

Agents
 These are substances produced from
microorganisms or synthetically.

ANTIBIOTICS or They are capable of destroying

ANTIMICROBIALS microorganisms even at low
concentrations.
Natural sources include fungi and
bacteria.
 An ideal antimicrobial
agent must possess the
following characteristics:
1. It should be able to kill the offending organism or
inhibit its growth.

2. It must have a broad spectrum of activity.

3. It should not cause any damage or adverse effect

to the host.
4. It should remain stable when stored in either a solid or liquid
form.

5. It should be able to remain in specific body temperatures long

enough for it to be effective.

6. It should be able to kill the organism before it has a chance to

mutate and develop resistance to it.

7. It must exhibit selective toxicity. In other words, it must be

toxic to the microbial cellm but not the host's cell.
 1. Broad-spectrum
antibiotics
Classifications
based on
spectrum of
activity:
2. Narrow-spectrum
antibiotics
 1. Bactericidal
Classifications based
on antimicrobial
activity:
2. Bacteriostatic
 1. Locally-acting
Classifications
based on
absorbability:
2. Systemically-acting
 Classification of
Antibiotics According to
Mechanism of Action
Agents that
inhibit the These agents act by inhibiting the different
stages of peptidoglycan synthesis or
synthesis of destroying an already formed peptidoglycan
the bacterial by activating autolytic enzymes.
cell wall:
Agents that
alter function
• These agents include polymyxin which
or permeability disrupts the cell membrane.
of the cell
membrane
 • These agents bind with ribosomes.
Agents that
inhibit • Their actions cause failure to initiate the
synthesis of synthesis of proteins, interfere with the
proteins elongation of proteins or misreading,
resulting in deformed proteins.
 Agents that act on bacterial DNA can be
categorized into 2 groups:

• Those that inhibit DNA replication

Agents that
act on the
• Those that inhibit synthesis of
nucleic acid metabolites necessary for DNA synthesis
Mechanism of Drug
Resistance
An organism is said to have developed
resistance to a particular antibiotic if it's
not affected anymore by that particular
antibiotic.
Development of resistance may be either intrinsic or acquired.

Intrinsic resistance is a stable genetic property which is encoded in the

chromosome of the organism shared by all strains of the species.

Acquired resistance arises from the ability of an organism to resist an

antimicrobial drug to which the species as a whole is naturally susceptible.
Resistance acquired through
genetic exchange can occur
through any of three ways:
 TRANSFORMATION

A naked or free microbial DNA

inserts itself into the DNA of the
same species.
TRANSDUCTION
The transfer of genetic material that
is mediated by a bacteriophage.
CONJUGATION

The transfer of genetic material

through the sex pilus