CLASSES OF ANTIBIOTICS

There are several classification/types of antibiotics today, which is based on bacterial spectrum of activity (whether broad or narrow) or type of activity exhibited by the agent (whether bactericidal or bacteriostatic). Some antibiotics are also classified based on their chemical structure. And this leaves antibiotics within a particular structural class to have similar patterns of […]

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

SOURCES OF ANTIBIOTICS

Before the advent of conventional medicine used in clinical medicine today for the treatment of infectious diseases, people in ancient times and even now have been using some herbal plants traditionally for centuries to combat microbes that cause diseases in man. Recently, scientists have studied and reported results that support the use of these herbal

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

BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTIBIOTICS

Antibiotic history dates back to 1928 when Sir Alexander Fleming discovered the antibacterial effects of the yeast, Penicillium notatum, a Fungus in his laboratory. The “antibiotic era” was ushered in through the work of several pioneering scientists including Sir Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, Ernest chain, Selman Waksman, Albert Schatz, Paul Ehrlich to mention but a

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

DEFINITION OF AN ANTIBIOTIC

There is no consensus to the definition of antibiotics. But it is very important that we do not displace the key points (“Killing and Inhibition”) that must be contained in any definition of an antibiotic. Abinitio, an antibiotic was originally defined as a substance produced by one microorganism, which inhibits the growth of other microorganisms.

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

Introduction to Antibiotic Resistance

In recent times, antibiotic resistance of pathogens to drugs (antibiotics) directed towards the degrading properties of microbes in vivo has been on the increase both in the community and in the hospital. Antibiotics are exceptionally vital in clinical medicine for the treatment of bacterial related infections, but unfortunately bacteria are capable of developing resistance to

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

GEL ELECTROPHORESIS TECHNIQUE

The term “electrophoresis” refers to the movement of a solid particle (e.g. nucleic acids) through a polymer matrix or gel under the influence of electric field. Electrophoresis is a molecular biology technique that is used to separate nucleic acid molecules and other macromolecules mainly on the basis of their charge to mass ratio as they

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Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology, , , , , ,

Introduction to Recombinant DNA (rDNA) Technology / Genetic Engineering

Recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology or genetic engineering is the in vitro controlled manipulation of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) in order to produce new gene products or a combination of genes with improved biological function. It is an advanced and modern form of biotechnology. In genetic engineering, the genetic makeup of living organisms (especially microorganisms)

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Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology, , ,

Introduction to Parasitology

Parasitology is the study of parasites and their interaction with other organisms (i.e. their hosts). It is the study of parasites, their ecology, transmission and life cycle. The study of parasites is as ancient as mankind as man became conscious of his immediate environment. The field of Parasitology was fully established and widely appreciated in

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Public Health & Parasitic Diseases (Parasitology), , , , , , ,

PUBLIC HEALTH AND PARASITIC DISEASES

Public health is a branch of medical sciences that primarily deals with the surveillance, control, detection and prevention of the emergence and spread of infectious diseases in a defined human population. It involves the protection and improvement of the health of the general public. In clinical medicine, doctors and nurses practice their profession by looking

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Medical Microbiology, Public Health & Parasitic Diseases (Parasitology), , , , ,

STERILITY TESTS OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS

The phrase sterility simply means the absence of living organisms including bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and other vegetative cells in a product. Sterility is usually achieved through the process of sterilization. And sterilization is defined as the process of by which objects, materials or environments can be rendered sterile (i.e. free from living organisms). Sterilization

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Food Microbiology, Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , , ,