Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: In the previous section, we explained that some pathogens are more virulent than others. This is due to the unique virulence factors produced by individual pathogens, which determine the…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: For most infectious diseases, the ability to accurately identify the causative pathogen is a critical step in finding or prescribing effective treatments. Today’s physicians, patients, and researchers…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Clinical Focus Part 1 Michael, a 10-year-old boy in generally good health, went to a birthday party on Sunday with his family. He ate many different foods…
Figure 15.1 Although medical professionals rely heavily on signs and symptoms to diagnose disease and prescribe treatment, many diseases can produce similar signs and symptoms. (credit left: modification of work by U.S. Navy) Chapter Outline 15.1 Characteristics of Infectious Disease 15.2 How Pathogens Cause…
14.1 History of Chemotherapy and Antimicrobial Discovery 14.2 Fundamentals of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 14.3 Mechanisms of Antibacterial Drugs 14.4 Mechanisms of Other Antimicrobial Drugs 14.5 Drug Resistance 14.6 Testing the Effectiveness of Antimicrobials 14.7 Current Strategies for Antimicrobial Discovery
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: With the continued evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance, and now the identification of pan-resistant bacterial pathogens, the search for new antimicrobials is essential for preventing the…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Testing the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs against specific organisms is important in identifying their spectrum of activity and the therapeutic dosage. This type of test, generally described as antimicrobial susceptibility testing…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: Antimicrobial resistance is not a new phenomenon. In nature, microbes are constantly evolving in order to overcome the antimicrobial compounds produced by other microorganisms. Human development of…
Learning Objective Because fungi, protozoa, and helminths are eukaryotic, their cells are very similar to human cells, making it more difficult to develop drugs with selective toxicity. Additionally, viruses replicate within human host cells, making it difficult to develop drugs…
Learning Objective An important quality for an antimicrobial drug is selective toxicity, meaning that it selectively kills or inhibits the growth of microbial targets while causing minimal or no harm to the host. Most antimicrobial drugs currently in clinical use are antibacterial because…