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 […]
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
Ex vivo delivery can also be called cell-based delivery protocol of gene therapy. It is different from in vivo delivery protocol – which is a direct delivery technique of delivering or injecting a functional gene into the host. Ex vivo delivery is the gene therapy technique in which cells extracted from a patient are genetically
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Gene Therapy Notes
In vivo delivery for gene therapy can also be called a direct delivery protocol for the transfer or introduction of a functional (therapeutic) gene to replace an abnormal gene in vivo. In vivo delivery for gene therapy is the gene therapy technique that delivers DNA, RNA or therapeutic protein directly into the cell or tissue
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Gene Therapy Notes
Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms that have the ability to replicate independently. In prokaryotes, plasmids are found in both Gram positive bacteria and Gram negative bacteria; and they usually range from 1.5 kb to 300 kb in size. In terms of the strands of their DNA molecule, most
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
Antimicrobial agents, particularly antibiotics are the most significant class of pharmaceuticals and are one of the most influential medical inventions of the twentieth century. They have undeniably been a boon to human society in the fight against bacteria, saving millions of lives. Nonetheless, the number of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is increasing across
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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology
PCR is the acronym for “polymerase chain reaction”. Polymerase chain reaction is the molecular biology technique that is used to amplify or copy specific gene sequences or nucleotides of a DNA molecule or gene. It was invented by Kary Mullis and his colleagues in the early 1980s; and PCR technique is the most widely used
Restriction endonucleases are DNA cutting enzymes specifically found and isolated from bacteria; and which nick specific sites on a nucleotide sequence known as restriction sites. Restriction sites are the different sites on a DNA molecule that is nicked by a particular restriction enzyme. Several types of restriction enzymes exist, and they are primarily sourced from
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Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
References Aschengrau A and Seage G.R (2013). Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health. Third edition. Jones and Bartleh Learning, Beers M.H., Porter R.S., Jones T.V., Kaplan J.L and Berkwits M (2006). The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Eighteenth edition. Merck & Co., Inc, USA. Chiodini P.L., Moody A.H., Manser D.W (2001). Atlas of medical
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Public Health & Parasitic Diseases (Parasitology)