MODE (MECHANISMS) OF TRANSFER OF RESISTANCE GENES

Antibiotic resistant bacteria owe their drug insensitivity and ingenuity in developing resistance against our therapeutic regimens to resistance genes which they harbor or possess. These resistance genes can either be inherently (naturally) part of the organism’s physiology or it can as well be acquired from other resistant organisms in their environment. It is these resistance […]

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , ,

ANTIMICROBIAL (ANTIBIOTIC) RESISTANCE: definition, selective pressure and clonal selection

Antibiotic or antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a phenomenon that occurs when bacteria are not killed or inhibited by usually achievable systemic concentration of an antibiotic (drug) with normal dosage schedule and/or fall in the minimum inhibitory concentration ranges of the drug in question. It is the ability of bacteria to resist the killing or inhibitory

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Antimicrobial Agents & Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , , ,

TYPES OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

The resistance of a microbial cell to the potent action of antimicrobial agents or antibiotics can either be innate or acquired. In innate (natural) resistance for example, the microorganisms are naturally resistant to a particular antibiotic. This usually occurs in microbes that lack target sites for the binding of the antibiotic. But in acquired resistance,

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Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , ,

PRECAUTIONS TAKEN TO AVOID CONTAMINATION IN CELL CULTURE

Contamination is a great enemy in the cell culture laboratory. Thus all aseptic techniques must be dutifully followed in order to knock out all sources of contamination in the cell culture. Since contamination by microbes is a major factor in most cell culture techniques it is critical to ensure sterility and/or aseptic techniques at every

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Cell Culture Notes

CELL LINES

OVERVIEW OF CELL LINES A cell line is a cell that has undergone mutation and series of genetic manipulations, and will not undergo apoptosis after a limited number of passages (sub-culturing). Apoptosis is defined as programmed cell death. It is a cell death that occurs by a biologically-controlled intracellular process that involves the fragmentation and

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Cell Culture Notes

BASIS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CELL CULTURE & AREAS THAT ENCOURAGED CELL CULTURE DEVELOPMENT

Having a cell culture without any form of contamination is paramount in the cell culture laboratory. Such success is usually achieved when the laid down principles and aseptic techniques for undertaking a cell culture procedure are conscientiously followed. A successful cell culture technique depends on a number of factors. These factors are: When these factors

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Cell Culture Notes

CLASSIFICATION/TYPES OF CELL CULTURE

In the cell culture laboratory, there are many cell culture techniques that are routinely engaged or carried out. These various types of cell culture techniques are shown below: Their only advantage is that they may exhibit some physiological behaviour similar to that obtainable in vivo because they are freshly isolated cells. Primary cell cultures are

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Cell Culture Notes, , , ,

Chromatic Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) agar

Chromatic VRE is a selective and differential chromogenic medium used for the qualitative and presumptive detection of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci directly from clinical samples. This medium is intended as an aid in the detection of the following bacteria: Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium with acquired vancomycin resistance. Chromatic VRE agar is not intended to diagnose infection or

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Culture media, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, ,

THE TRIANGLE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY (Epidemiological triad)

The characteristics of a disease are largely dependent on the relationship between the environment, the disease causing microorganism (pathogen) and a susceptible host. Health; it must be noted is a state of equilibrium or balance between susceptible host (the individual) and the agent (pathogenic microorganism). The features of host, environment, and agent (disease cause) are

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Epidemiology, ,