Running Head: ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS 1
APPLICATION: ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
Name
University Affiliation
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS 2
Antimicrobial agents act by inhibiting cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis, and nucleic
acid synthesis. Similarly, they may cause alterations in the functioning of the cell membrane and
cell metabolism of the microbe. Antimicrobial agents have found massive applications in the
treatment of numerous bacterial infections since they have the ability to kill or preventing the
growth of microbes like protozoan, bacteria, and fungi. This paper aims at giving a description of
the categories of antimicrobial agents with a description of the differences between viral and
bacterial infections (Li, Collins and Keene, 2015).
Categories of Antimicrobial Agents
Antimicrobials are agents that act against all kinds of microorganisms. There are varied
ways of classifying antimicrobials based on their modes of activity against microorganisms.
They include mode of activity, the spectrum of action and effect on bacteria.
Spectrum of Action
Antimicrobials may be classified as a broad spectrum or narrow spectrum based on the
range of microorganisms susceptible to the agents under consideration. Broad spectrum
antimicrobials show activity against organisms considered to be gram positive and gram
negative. They include phenols, tetracyclines, fluoro quinols, and tetracyclines. Third generation
and fourth generation cephalosporins are also included. Narrow spectrum antimicrobials show
limited levels of activity and include glycopeptides, polymixins, aminoglycosides,
nitroimidazoles, and sulfonamides (Sievert et al, 2013).
Effect on Microbial
Since there are varied ways in which antimicrobials affect microorganisms,
antimicrobials, majorly antibacterial show varied effects on bacteria. There are two classes of
antimicrobials in this category namely; bactericidal drugs and bacteriostatic drugs. Bactericidal
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS 3
drugs act by killing targeted microorganisms and include trimethoprim, clindamycin, and
erythromycin. These drugs are majorly penicillins, aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, and
quinolones. Bacteriostatic drugs delay or inhibit action and replication of bacteria and include
beta-lactams, vancomycin, rifampin, and metronidazole (Jorgensen and Turnidge, 2015).
Mode of Activity
Antimicrobials act in different modes. Penicillins, cephalosporins, vancomycin and
bacitracin act by inhibiting synthesis of microbial cell walls. colistin and polymyxin inhibit
proper functioning of cell membranes by segregating inter and intracellular flows.
Streptogramins, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines macrolides, chloramphenicol, and lincosamides
act by inhibiting protein synthesis. Sulfonamides and trimethoprims act by inhibiting the
metabolic processes of microbial.
Difference between Viral and Bacterial Infections
Viral and bacterial infections reveal narrow differences. Viral infections occur when a
virus enters a specified cell or injects its genetic materials in this cell. This allows the virus to
multiply, making the host cell its slave. While viruses may increase and spread to other cells in a
tissue, they may prolong an infection by delaying their spread. Examples of viral infections
include common colds, chicken pox and HIV/AIDS (Mc Cullers, 2014). Bacterial infections, on
the other hand, occur when bacteria invade body tissues and take up nutrients from these tissues
and secrete toxic materials that kill these tissues. In other instances, bacteria may act by
replicating inside the host’s cells then killing these tissues as it breaks out. Examples of bacterial
infections include urinary tract infections, strep throat, and tuberculosis (Perotin et al., 2013).
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS 4
The Reason Proper Identification of Viral and Bacterial Infections is Key in Selecting
Proper Antimicrobial Agent
Identification of an infection plays a significant role in determining the appropriate
antimicrobial agents for these infections. Since viral and bacterial infections reveal high levels of
similarities with narrow differences, proper identification is a key step towards treatment. First,
proper identification is critical in preventing bodily resistance antimicrobials. Second, proper
identification of viral and bacterial infections eliminates chances of mixed prescriptions in
antimicrobials (Sievert et al., 2013). Since some antibiotics may not work against selected viral
infections, proper identification ensures that antimicrobials are used for their purposes as a way
of preventing consequences of mixed prescriptions.
Conclusion
Antimicrobial go a long way in preventing the spread of infections. There are different
categories of antimicrobials classified on the basis of activity, spectra of action and their effects
on the microbial. Viral and bacterial infections must be properly identified as a way of avoiding
resistance and mixed prescription.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS 5
References
Jorgensen, J. H., & Turnidge, J. D. (2015). Susceptibility test methods: dilution and disk
diffusion methods. In Manual of Clinical Microbiology, Eleventh Edition (pp. 1253-
1273). American Society of Microbiology.
Li, F., Collins, J. G., & Keene, F. R. (2015). Ruthenium complexes as antimicrobial agents.
Chemical Society Reviews, 44(8), 2529-2542.
McCullers, J. A. (2014). The co-pathogenesis of influenza viruses with bacteria in the lung.
Nature Reviews Microbiology, 12(4), 252-262.
Perotin, J. M., Dury, S., Renois, F., Deslee, G., Wolak, A., Duval, V., ... & Andreoletti, L.
(2013). Detection of multiple viral and bacterial infections in acute exacerbation of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a pilot prospective study. Journal of medical
virology, 85(5), 866-873.
Sievert, D. M., Ricks, P., Edwards, J. R., Schneider, A., Patel, J., Srinivasan, A., ... & Fridkin, S.
(2013). Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens associated with healthcare-associated
infections summary of data reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009–2010. Infection Control & Hospital
Epidemiology, 34(01), 1-14.