What are Antibiotics?
Medication are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. There are many different types of medication that work in different ways to kill or stop the growth of bacteria. Medication do not work against infections caused by viruses like the common cold or flu. Only bacterial infections can be treated with medication.
History of Antibiotics Discovery
Medication have revolutionized medicine in the 20th century and saved millions of lives. The discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming is considered one of the most significant medical advances in history. However, it was not until the 1940s that scientists were able to produce penicillin on an industrial scale for widespread medical use. Other important types of medication such as streptomycin, tetracyclines and sulfonamides were discovered in the 1940s-1950s through research in academic laboratories and pharmaceutical companies. These early medication helped control many deadly infectious diseases and reduced mortality from childbirth and surgery.
How Medication Work
Medication can either kill bacteria or prevent them from multiplying. There are different classes of medication that have distinct mechanisms of action:
- Penicillins and cephalosporins work by interfering with the bacteria's cell wall formation, causing the cell wall to weaken and bursts.
- Tetracyclines and macrolides bind to the bacteria's ribosomes to prevent protein synthesis, which is essential for bacterial growth and replication.
- Fluoroquinolones inhibit the bacteria's DNA replication by targeting the enzymes topoisomerase.
- Sulfonamides disrupt the bacteria's folic acid synthesis, disrupting nucleic acid synthesis essential for cell growth.
With a targeted attack at a specific stage of the bacterial cell activity and growth, medication are able to overwhelm and eliminate bacterial infections.
Uses of Medication in Medicine
Medication have many important applications in healthcare:
- Treatment of bacterial infections like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, skin infections and sepsis. Medication save millions of lives each year from potentially lethal bacterial diseases.
- Prevention of infections after surgery by killing any bacteria entering the surgical site. This reduces complications and speeds up recovery.
- Prevention of infections in immunocompromised patients. Medication allow cancer treatments and organ/bone marrow transplants by reducing a patient's risk of life-threatening infections during therapy.
- Treatment of foodborne illnesses. Conditions like typhoid and food poisoning caused by bacteria such as Salmonella can resolve with appropriate Antibiotic therapy.
- Prevention of premature birth. Studies show medication reduce the risk of early birth by 50% in pregnant women with bacterial infections.
- Control of tuberculosis. TB was historically a leading infectious disease killer but is now managed long-term with multi-drug antibiotic regimens.
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