Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms (microbicide) or stops their growth (bacteriostatic agent). [1] Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals are used against fungi. They can also be classified ...
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance 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. [1] [2] They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria.
Antimicrobial stewardship – strategies to ensure appropriate and effective use of antimicrobial agents to prevent microbial resistance. Antiseptic – Chemical substance applied to skin or surface to reduce pathogens and prevent infection, but not strong enough to sterilize. Antiviral – Medication to treat or prevent viral infections.
The antimicrobial spectrum of an antibiotic can be determined by testing its antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microbes in vitro. Nonetheless, the range of microorganisms which an antibiotic can kill or inhibit in vivo may not always be the same as the antimicrobial spectrum based on data collected in vitro. [2] [5]
Over time, most of the strains of bacteria and infections present will be the type resistant to the antimicrobial agent being used to treat them, making this agent now ineffective to defeat most microbes. With the increased use of antimicrobial agents, there is a speeding up of this natural process. [29]
An opportunistic disease requires impairment of host defenses, which may occur as a result of genetic defects (such as chronic granulomatous disease), exposure to antimicrobial drugs or immunosuppressive chemicals (as might occur following poisoning or cancer chemotherapy), exposure to ionizing radiation, or as a result of an infectious disease ...
The paper, published in 2020 in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, originally claimed that treatments with hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, reduced virus levels in COVID ...
Many clinical trials have been promising though, showing that it could potentially help with the antimicrobial resistance problem. It can also be used in conjunction with antibiotics for a cumulative effect. [44] Medical microbiology is not only about diagnosing and treating disease, it also involves the study of beneficial microbes.