Antibiotics

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are playing an important role in our society. Sir Alexander Fleming was a founder of antibiotics through his careful observations of 1928. Without it, many lives would have been in danger due to so many infectious diseases.


Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by various species of microorganisms and other living systems that are capable of inhibiting the growth of killing bacteria and other microorganisms, in small concentrations. These organisms can be bacteria, viruses, fungi or animals, called protozoa. A particular group of these agents is made up of drugs called antibiotics.

Antibiotics can be bacteriostatic (bacteria stopped from multiplying) or bactericidal (bacteria killed). It is believed that antibiotics interfere with the surface of bacteria cells, causing a change in their ability to reproduce.

Antibiotics are manufactured in two ways. One of them is natural. At one time, all antibiotics were made from living organisms. This process, known as biosynthesis, is still used in the manufacture of some antibiotics. Other type is synthetic.

All penicillin types have an identical chemical nucleus, called a ring. The chemical chain that is attached to the ring is different in each type. By changing the molecules of the chain, scientists devise drugs with potentially different effects on different organisms. Some of these drugs are useful in treating infections some are not.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers now use computer- generated images of the rings and experiment with an endless variety of possible chains. Researchers have developed antibiotics that allow taking the medicine once in 24 hours instead of every few hours.

The newer antibiotics are also more effective against a wider range of infections than were earlier drugs. There are dozens of antibiotics. The following are in common use:

Penicillin:

The various types of Penicillin make up a large group of antibacterial antibiotics.

Cephalosporin:...