Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics

Clinical and pharmacological significance of synergism, antagonism and additive effects of drugs or pharmacological compounds

The terms synergistic effect (synergism), antagonistic effect (antagonism) and additive effect are all clinical and pharmacological phrases that have clinical applications in drug administration in real life. They are also applied in research particularly in novel drug discovery, drug testing and therapeutic drug applications. Chemical reactions in chemistry happen when two compounds or more react […]

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ISONIAZID – anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug

Isoniazid or isonicotinyl hydrazine (INH) is a first-line antibiotic used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), a droplet bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is a highly infectious diseases that is mainly spread via the respiratory tract of infected persons to susceptible human hosts through sneezes, cough and saliva or aerosols that contain the

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CHLORAMPHENICOL

Chloramphenicol is a protein synthesis inhibitor but the antibiotic unlike other drugs that interfere with bacterial protein biosynthesis (e.g. tetracycline and aminoglycosides) binds to the 50S ribosomal subunit of the target bacterial ribosome the same manner that macrolides (e.g. erythromycin) exhibit their antibacterial activity. Chloramphenicol and erythromycin exhibit similar modes of antibacterial action or activity

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MECHANISMS OF TRANSFER OF RESISTANCE GENES IN BACTERIA

  Below are some of the major ways through which bacteria pass on their antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to other susceptible non–resistant bacteria in their environment: TRANSDUCTION Transduction is simply defined as the transfer of genetic material (i.e. exogenous or foreign DNA molecule) between bacteria by bacteriophages (bacterial viruses). It is the transfer of DNA

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , , , , ,

GENETIC BASIS OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Genetic resistance of microbes to antibiotics is due to a chromosomal mutation in the bacterial DNA or acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes on plasmids or transposons from other bacteria. Bacteria are extremely ingenious in becoming resistant to antibiotics directed towards them because they are able to regulate their drug resistance genes over time. This is

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Pharmaceutical Microbiology,

ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF LICHEN SECONDARY METABOLITES

Lichens possess varying antimicrobial properties; and they have been shown to be active against a plethora of pathogenic microorganisms including bacteria, fungi and viruses. Many reviews and research papers have well expanded and documented the biological and pharmacological importance of lichen secondary metabolites. Lichens and lichen compounds have long been used by Native Americans, the

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GENTAMICIN

Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic. Aminoglycosides are antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis like the tetracyclines, and they also bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit of the bacterial ribosome. Other examples of aminoglycosides include kanamycin, tobramycin, netilmicin, spectinomycin, amikacin, neomycin and streptomycin. Streptomycin (which is naturally synthesized by the actinomycetes bacterium, Streptomyces griseus)is a unique aminoglycoside

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CIPROFLOXACIN

Ciprofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is derived from the earlier quinolones. Nalidixic acid is a typical example of a quinolone; and both the quinolones and fluoroquinolones are bacterial DNA replication inhibitors. But antibiotics in the fluoroquinolone family have broader activity than the quinolones. Other examples of fluoroquinolones include ofloxacin, norfloxacin, sparfloxacin, lomefloxacin and levofloxacin.

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SULPHONAMIDES  

  Sulphonamides or sulpha drugs are generally known as folate synthesis inhibitors because they inhibit the synthesis of folic acid, an important precursor for the synthesis of nucleic acids in pathogenic bacteria. They are antimetabolites; and antibiotics in this category include pyrimethamine, trimethoprim, sulphamethoxazole and sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim. Sulphonamides are the largest antibiotic family that acts as

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TETRACYCLINES

Tetracyclines are general purpose antibiotics used for a variety of clinical applications, and they include tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, dimethyl chlortetracycline, minocycline and doxycycline. Antibiotics in this category are protein synthesis inhibitors like the macrolides, but tetracyclines bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit of bacterial ribosomes during protein synthesis. They are used to treat a wide

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