DiscoverScroll article

An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance which is active against bacteria.

It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections. They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. A limited number of antibiotics also possess antiprotozoal activity, but antibiotics are not effective against viruses or fungi. Sometimes, the term antibiotic—literally "opposing life", from the Greek roots ἀντι anti, "against" and βίος bios, "life"—is broadly used to refer to any substance used against microbes, but in the usual medical usage, antibiotics (such as penicillin) are those produced naturally (by one microorganism fighting another), whereas non-antibiotic antibacterials (such as sulfonamides and antiseptics) are fully synthetic. However, both classes have the same effect of killing or preventing the growth of microorganisms, and both are included in antimicrobial chemotherapy. "Antibacterials" include bactericides, bacteriostatics, antibacterial soaps, and chemical disinfectants, whereas antibiotics are an important class of antibacterials used more specifically in medicine and sometimes in livestock feed.

The earliest use of antibiotics was found in northern Sudan, where ancient Sudanese societies as early as 350–550 CE were systematically consuming antibiotics as part of their diet. Chemical analyses of Nubian skeletons show consistent, high levels of tetracycline, a powerful antibiotic. Synthetic antibiotic chemotherapy as a science and the development of antibacterials began in Germany with Paul Ehrlich in the late 1880s. The first sulfonamide and the first systemically active antibacterial drug, Prontosil, was developed by a research team led by Gerhard Domagk in 1932 or 1933 at the Bayer Laboratories of the IG Farben conglomerate in Germany. However, the effectiveness and easy access to antibiotics have also led to their overuse and some bacteria have evolved resistance to them. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a naturally occurring process, is primarily driven by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials.

Advantages of topical application include achieving high and sustained concentration of antibiotic at the site of infection; reducing the potential for systemic absorption and toxicity, and total volumes of antibiotic required are reduced, thereby also reducing the risk of antibiotic misuse.

Other effects of alcohol on antibiotic activity include altered activity of the liver enzymes that break down the antibiotic compound.

Paleontological data show that both antibiotics and antibiotic resistance are ancient compounds and mechanisms.

Per The ICU Book, "The first rule of antibiotics is to try not to use them, and the second rule is try not to use too many of them." Inappropriate antibiotic treatment and overuse of antibiotics have contributed to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Inappropriate antibiotic treatment, for example, is their prescription to treat viral infections such as the common cold.

The use of antibiotics in modern medicine began with the discovery of synthetic antibiotics derived from dyes.

Most of the antibiotics in current use are natural products or natural product derivatives, and bacterial, fungal, plant and animal extracts are being screened in the search for new antibiotics. In addition to screening natural products for direct antibacterial activity, they are sometimes screened for the ability to suppress antibiotic resistance and antibiotic tolerance. For example, some secondary metabolites inhibit drug efflux pumps, thereby increasing the concentration of antibiotic able to reach its cellular target and decreasing bacterial resistance to the antibiotic.

In addition to silencing essential bacterial genes, antisense RNA can be used to silence bacterial genes responsible for antibiotic resistance.

In addition to developing new antibacterial treatments, it is important to reduce the selection pressure for the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), such as antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic cycling, where antibiotics are alternated by clinicians to treat microbial diseases, is proposed, but recent studies revealed such strategies are ineffective against antibiotic resistance.

Quick Facts

• It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections.
• In addition to screening natural products for direct antibacterial activity, they are sometimes screened for the ability to suppress antibiotic resistance and antibiotic tolerance.
• Synthetic antibiotic chemotherapy as a science and the development of antibacterials began in Germany with Paul Ehrlich in the late 1880s.
• For example, some secondary metabolites inhibit drug efflux pumps, thereby increasing the concentration of antibiotic able to reach its cellular target and decreasing bacterial resistance to the antibiotic.
• Advantages of topical application include achieving high and sustained concentration of antibiotic at the site of infection; reducing the potential for systemic absorption and toxicity, and total volumes of antibiotic required are reduced, thereby also reducing the risk of antibiotic misuse.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Antibiotic". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.