Week 2 - Antimicrobial Therapy

The ability to kill the microbe but not harm the patient which is achieved by targeting a structure of the pathogen which is different to humans

Directly kill the bacteria

Inhibit growth of the bacteria that then enables the body’s defence mechanisms to remove the bacteria

• Broad Spectrum kill a wide range of gram-positive & Gram-negative bacteria but also destroy normal flora • Narrow Spectrum effective against a select group of pathogens

Immediate treatment

• Antibiotic resistance • Second degree infection • Broad-spectrum antibiotics can lead to a dangerous form of diarrhoea, called “C. diff” which can require removal of the bowel

• Decreased killing of normal flora • Decreased Antibiotic resistance • Effective against a select group of pathogens. For example Penicillin which is effective against Gram-positive bacteria

• Takes time to know there is bacteria • Organisms not killed of if wrong antibiotic • Often, the exact species of bacteria causing the illness is unknown, in which case narrow-spectrum antibiotics can’t be used

• Interfere with cell wall synthesis (eg. penicillin) • Inhibit protein synthesis (eg. Erythromycin) • Interference with DNA replication (eg. Ciprofloxacin) • Interrupt metabolic reactions inside the cell (eg. Trimethoprim)

When bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the bacteria and fungi are not killed and continue to grow

• Avoid Excessive prescribing of antimicrobials • Finish the full course of antibiotics to discourage the survival & proliferation of resistant strains • Never use left-over antibiotics or antibiotics that are prescribed for someone else