Pharmaceutical Microbiology

MULTIDRUG RESISTANT BACTERIA (MDRB)

The introduction of antibiotics into clinical medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases heralded an era of one of the most significant breakthrough in medicine – since most infectious diseases that caused morbidity and mortality in the human race was drastically reduced and contained with antibiotics (the magic bullets). Particularly, penicillin was the first antibiotic […]

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , , , ,

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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MINIMUM INHIBITORY CONCENTRATION (MIC)

Antimicrobial susceptibility tests are used to determine which specific antibiotics or antimicrobial agents a particular pathogenic bacterium or fungus is sensitive to; and susceptibility tests can guide the physician in drug choice and dosage especially for difficult-to-treat infections. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility tests or studies are commonly reported as the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC),

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MEASUREMENT OF ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY/ACTIVITY

The determination of the antimicrobial susceptibility of a given pathogen to a particular antimicrobial agent can be performed or undertaken by one of two basic methods, viz: Agar Disk Diffusion Method Agar disk diffusion technique of antimicrobial susceptibility testing provides a basis for the classification of a pathogenic strain as susceptible, intermediate or resistant to

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GENOTYPIC DETECTION OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT MICROBES

The genotypic detection and characterization of antibiotic resistant genes in pathogenic bacteria is more specific in characterizing resistance genes than the phenotypic detection methods. The term genotypic is derived from genotype – which is the complete genetic makeup of an organism. Genotype describes the overall composition of the genetic information found in an organism.  Thus,

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FEATURES OF THE VITEK 2 AUTOMATED COMPACT SYSTEM FOR BACTERIAL IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TEST (AST)

Helping the physician select the best treatment at a much faster pace based on the right microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test is crucial in any infectious disease management and patient total wellbeing. Clinical microbiology laboratories are the first lines of defense for the detection of antibiotic resistance from clinical pathogens and/or samples. And the

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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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TYPES OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Bacteria have evolved to survive in diverse environments. They survive exposure to harsh chemicals including antibiotics, and they also survive difficult growth conditions. They have learned to “detoxify” harmful substances e.g. antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance can either be intrinsic or acquired. INTRINSIC (INNATE) RESISTANCE Some bacteria are said to possess innate/intrinsic resistance against antibacterial action put

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , , , ,