Theme 6
An#microbial drugs
• Interfere with the growth of microbes within a host
• Paul Elrich - ‘magic bullet’
§ Selec%ve toxicity - killing harmful microbes without damaging the host
§ Salvarsan - arsenic compound developed by Paul Elrich (treats syphilis,
relapsing fever and African trypanosomiasis)
§ Coined the term Chemotherapy
• Alexander Fleming - discovered Penicillin (produced by Penicillium)
• An#bio#c - a substance produced by a microbe that in small amounts inhibits
another microbe
Problems with Chemotherapy
• Eukaryotes resemble host cells and the drug causes damage to host
• Viruses - found inside host cells and use machinery to direct human cells to make
viruses rather than cellular material
An#bio#cs
• Broad and narrow spectrum (based on spectrum of ac#on)
• Bacteriosta#c (stalls bacterial cell ac#vity) and bactericidal (kills bacteria) (based on
mode of ac#on)
Superinfec#on
• Growth of target pathogen has developed resistance to an#bio#cs
• Can be opportunis#c
An#microbial drugs
• Interfere with the growth of microbes within a host
• Paul Elrich - ‘magic bullet’
§ Selec%ve toxicity - killing harmful microbes without damaging the host
§ Salvarsan - arsenic compound developed by Paul Elrich (treats syphilis,
relapsing fever and African trypanosomiasis)
§ Coined the term Chemotherapy
• Alexander Fleming - discovered Penicillin (produced by Penicillium)
• An#bio#c - a substance produced by a microbe that in small amounts inhibits
another microbe
Problems with Chemotherapy
• Eukaryotes resemble host cells and the drug causes damage to host
• Viruses - found inside host cells and use machinery to direct human cells to make
viruses rather than cellular material
An#bio#cs
• Broad and narrow spectrum (based on spectrum of ac#on)
• Bacteriosta#c (stalls bacterial cell ac#vity) and bactericidal (kills bacteria) (based on
mode of ac#on)
Superinfec#on
• Growth of target pathogen has developed resistance to an#bio#cs
• Can be opportunis#c
