Textbook Question
Assume a bacterium makes beta-lactamase. Could you still use a glycopeptide drug to treat an infection caused by this bacterium? Explain your reasoning.
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Ch. 15 - Antimicrobial Drugs
Norman-McKay2nd EditionMicrobiology: Basic and Clinical PrinciplesISBN: 9780137661619
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - Introduction to Microbiology22
- Ch. 2 - Biochemistry Basics19
- Ch. 3 - Introduction to Prokaryotic Cells17
- Ch. 4 - Introduction to Eukaryotic Cells16
- Ch. 5 - Genetics25
- Ch. 6 - Viruses and Prions12
- Ch. 7 - Fundamentals of Microbial Growth20
- Ch. 8 - Microbial Metabolism16
- Ch. 9 - Principles of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology11
- Ch. 10 - Host Microbe Interactions and Pathogenesis19
- Ch. 11 - Innate Immunity24
- Ch. 12 - Adaptive Immunity22
- Ch. 13 - Immune System Disorders15
- Ch. 14 - Biomedical Applications: Vaccines, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Molecular Method14
- Ch. 15 - Antimicrobial Drugs18
- Ch. 16 - Respiratory System Infections16
- Ch. 17 - Skin and Eye Infections19
- Ch. 18 - Nervous System Infections12
- Ch. 19 - Digestive System Infections20
- Ch. 20 - Urinary and Reproductive System Infections10
- Ch. 21 - Cardiovascular and Lymphatic Infections15
Norman-McKay2nd EditionMicrobiology: Basic and Clinical PrinciplesISBN: 9780137661619Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 15, Problem 9
Which of the following antimicrobial properties would be the most crucial to consider in developing a new antimicrobial?
a. Selective toxicity
b. Ease of administration
c. Lack of drug interactions
d. Long half-life
e. The drug’s capacity to be bactericidal
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Understand the concept of selective toxicity, which refers to the ability of an antimicrobial agent to target microbial cells without causing harm to the host's cells. This is fundamental to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Step 2: Consider ease of administration, which affects patient compliance but is secondary to the drug's ability to effectively and safely kill or inhibit microbes.
Step 3: Evaluate the importance of lack of drug interactions, which is important for patients on multiple medications but not the primary factor in antimicrobial development.
Step 4: Reflect on the significance of a long half-life, which influences dosing frequency but does not directly impact the antimicrobial's core effectiveness or safety.
Step 5: Assess the drug’s capacity to be bactericidal (killing bacteria) versus bacteriostatic (inhibiting growth), which is important but still depends on the drug being selectively toxic to avoid harming the host.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Selective Toxicity
Selective toxicity refers to an antimicrobial's ability to target and kill or inhibit pathogens without harming the host's cells. This principle is fundamental in drug development to ensure safety and minimize side effects, making it a critical factor when choosing or designing new antimicrobials.
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03:27
Selective Media
Bactericidal vs. Bacteriostatic Activity
Bactericidal drugs kill bacteria directly, while bacteriostatic drugs inhibit bacterial growth. The choice between these depends on the infection type and patient condition; bactericidal agents are often preferred for severe infections, making this property important in antimicrobial development.
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04:18Passive vs. Active Transport
Pharmacokinetics (Ease of Administration and Half-life)
Pharmacokinetics involves how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. Ease of administration and a long half-life improve patient compliance and maintain effective drug levels, but these are secondary to ensuring the drug effectively targets pathogens without toxicity.
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03:19Methods of Inducing Mutations
Related Practice
Textbook Question
Choose the true statement(s) about therapeutic index (TI). Select all that apply.
a. A drug with a high therapeutic index would be effective above the dose at which it is potentially toxic.
b. A narrow TI is preferable.
c. A drug for which the maximum safe dose is close to the minimum effective dose would have a high TI.
d. It is one measure of a drug’s general safety.
e. A drug that is not selectively toxic would most likely have a high TI.
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Textbook Question
The difference between a synthetic drug and a semisynthetic drug is that
a. the semisynthetic drug is a modified synthetic drug.
b. the synthetic drug is a modified natural drug.
c. the synthetic drug is a modified semisynthetic drug.
d. the semisynthetic drug is a modified natural drug.
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Textbook Question
If a gene encoding a bacterial transpeptidase enzyme undergoes mutation, which of the following antimicrobials may no longer be effective against the mutated bacterium?
a. Macrolides
b. Polypeptide drugs
c. Tetracyclines
d. Penicillins
e. Quinolones
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Textbook Question
What advantages might a semisynthetic antimicrobial drug have over an antibiotic?
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Textbook Question
Assume a clinical sample yields a strain of S. aureus containing a plasmid that encodes two antimicrobial-resistance genes. How did the bacterium most likely acquire these new resistance genes?
a. The strain was intrinsically resistant.
b. The strain obtained the genes through horizontal gene transfer.
c. The strain acquired the genes by a random mutation.
d. The strain picked up the genes by an efflux pump.
e. The strain acquired the genes through cell division events.
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