antibiotics

Antibiotics are the drugs utilised for the treatment of bacteriological infections. They are effective against protozoan infections because they are antiprotozoal. Antiviral medicines are employed because antibiotics don’t work against viruses.

When French bacteriologist Jean Paul Vuillemin coined the term “antibiosis,” which means “against life,” it was widely used as a synonym for “antibiotic.” He used it to describe the early antibacterial medications’ characteristics. Selman Waksman coined the word “antibiotics” in 1942 to describe the antimicrobial effects of bacteria drugs on other microbes’ drug production.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are now defined as a material created entirely or in part by chemical synthesis that slows the development of germs or causes them to die off completely. Antibiotics are used in treating bacterial illnesses because they are less hazardous to people and animals. 

A German bacteriologist named Paul Ehrlich was the first to investigate arsphenamine (an arsenic-based structure), better known as salvarsan, to treat syphilis. However, arsphenamine and other arsenic-based compounds are toxic to humans and thus were not used to develop antibiotics. The discovery of penicillin from a fungus by Alexander Fleming in 1929 marked the beginning of a true revolution in antibiotics.

Antibiotics were introduced into medicine in the 1950s, and they completely transformed how infectious illnesses were treated. A rise in the average human life expectancy of eight years occurred between 1945 and 1972, thanks to antibiotics to treat previously fatal diseases. Antibiotics are now one of the most often used medications in medicine. 

Process of Production of Antibiotics

The fermentation process is responsible for the production of antibiotics on a massive scale. Essentially, this is a chemical reaction triggered by the microbes in a big water tank. Large tanks hold the growth medium responsible for nourishing the microorganism’s development. Temperature, pH levels, oxygen levels, and nutritional parameters in the fermentation tank must all be optimised to ensure the successful production of antibiotics. Following the conclusion of antibiotics synthesis, the antibiotics are extracted and purified using various physical techniques. The antibiotics are refined and turned into crystals at the end of the process.

Types of Antibiotics

Antibiotics are primarily categorised based on the chemical structure of their active ingredients. Antibiotics belonging to the same structural class will have comparable attributes such as efficacy, toxicity, and allergy potential. They are as follows:

• Penicillins
• Tetracyclines
• Aminoglycosides
• Fluoroquinolones
• Cephalosporin 
• Sulfonamides
• Macrolides

Depending on how they function to prevent the bacteria from infecting humans, they can be categorised into the following categories:

1. Bactericidal

They eliminate or kill the bacteria present in the body that causes ailments.

For example, penicillin and polymyxin are antibiotics.

2. Bacteriostatic

Bacteriostatic medications inhibit the development of germs.

As an illustration:

– Tetracycline and chloramphenicol are examples of antibiotics.

Antibiotics are classified into the following categories based on their mode of action:

1. Broad-spectrum

Generally speaking, antibacterial agents are medications that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria of all gram-positive and gram-negative types.

As an illustration:

• Amoxicillin is a penicillin-type of antibiotic used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

These kinds of antibiotics are most effective against gram-positive bacteria or gram-negative bacteria. For example, Penicillin G has a limited spectrum of action. It is effective against a specific type of pathogen or illness.

Examples of Antibiotics

Penicillin

Penicillin was the world’s first “true” antibiotic, developed by a Scottish bacteriologist named Alexander Fleming in 1928 and used to treat the plague and numerous other bacterial illnesses. While it was an accident that led to the discovery of penicillin, it was a watershed moment in the history of medicine. Penicillium notatum, a mould, is used to create this product.

Penicillin Comes in a Variety of Forms

Each form of penicillin is classified according to its efficacy, and there are many distinct varieties available.

• Penicillin VK and Penicillin G are both types of natural penicillin that may be found in nature.
• Penicillin VK is used to treat various bacterial infections, including ear infections.
• Penicillin G is an antibiotic used to treat various bacterial infections caused by gram-positive and gram-negative cocci. As an example, consider bacterial infections in the stomach that are vulnerable.

Quinolones

In the antibiotic world, quinolones are a kind of antibiotic that can either suppress or kill the development of bacteria. Quinolones, which were first discovered in 1962, are composed of a manufactured substance known as NegGram. Quinolones are antibacterial agents used to treat bacterial infections of the urinary tract, sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia.

Norfloxacin is an antibiotic belonging to the class of fluoroquinolone and sold under the name Noroxin. This medicine is used to cure  patients suffering from urinary tract infections ,inflammation of prostate gland,bladder infection etc.,

Nalidixic acid belongs to quinolones.They have antibacterial activity against gram negative bacteria such as E.coli ,Proteus vulgaris etc. They are also used to treat urinary tract infections.

What Antibiotics Are Capable of Doing?

Most microorganisms in the body are entirely safe. Some are even beneficial. But the fact remains that germs can invade virtually any organ, and antibiotics can be effective against them.

Infections that can be treated with antibiotics include:

• In some instances, bacteria can cause ear and sinus infections.
• Infections of the mouth and teeth.
• Infections of the skin.
• Meningitis – A type of infection that affects the cerebral portion and spinal cord (swelling of the brain and spinal cord)
• A throat infection caused by streptococcus
• Infections of the bladder and kidney
• Lung infections caused by bacteria
• Whooping cough 
• Clostridium difficile – a kind of fungus that grows in the soil

Antibiotics can only treat bacterial illnesses. Viruses are responsible for the common cold, the flu, most coughs, certain bronchitis infections, the majority of sore throats, and the stomach flu. Antibiotics are ineffective in treating them.

What is the mechanism through which antibiotics work?

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections. Some are very specialised and only effective against a specific bacterial strain. On the other hand, broad-spectrum antibiotics are effective against many bacteria, including some helpful to humans.

In general, antibiotics work by targeting bacteria in two ways. The bacteria are either prevented from reproducing or killed due to their actions, such as interfering with the process responsible for constructing their cell walls.

Conclusion 

Antibiotics are a chemical compound generated by a living creature, usually a bacteria, toxic to other germs. Antibiotics are commonly produced by soil microbes and are most likely a mechanism for organisms in a complicated environment, such as soil, to limit the growth of competing bacteria. Bacteria and fungus are microorganisms that generate antibiotics that can prevent or treat illness.