Erik Ludlow - Antibiotics

Antiobiotics

What are Antibiotics - Antibiotics, also called antibacterials, are a type of antimicrobial drug used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections.

Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the common cold or influenza, and their inappropriate use allows the emergence of resistant organisms.

Antibiotics were revolutionized in the 20th century together with vaccination have led to the near end of major diseases in the world. 

However, their effectiveness and easy access led to overuse, especially in livestock raising, prompting bacteria to develop resistance.

All classes of antibiotics in use today were first discovered prior to the mid 1980s. 

In 1928 Alexander Fleming used penicillin a certain molecule that made certain molds to stop or kill the growth of bacterias. Fleming was working on a culture of disease-causing bacteria when he noticed the spores of a green mold, Penicillium chrysogenum, in one of his culture plates. He observed that the presence of the mold killed or prevented the growth of the bacteria.

Antibiotics have different classes to which they are used. They mostly are used to help with bacterial functions or growth processes. There are others that attack cell walls and or interfere with bacterial activities. There are also other that target protein synthesis.

 

Testing the susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus to 

antibiotics by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method – 

antibiotics diffuse from antibiotic-containing disks and

inhibit growth of S. aureus, resulting in a zone of inhibition.

Citations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotics#/media/File:Staphylococcus_aureus_(AB_Test).jpg