News tagged with antibiotics
New type of biosensor is fast, super-sensitive
(Phys.org) -- A whole new class of biosensor that can detect exceptionally small traces of contaminants in liquids in just 40 minutes has been developed by a UNSW-led team of researchers.
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
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Garlic constituent blocks biofilm formation, could benefit CF patients and others
E Pluribus Unum, the motto of the United States, could just as well apply to biofilm-forming bacteria. Bacterial biofilms are far more resistant than individual bacteria to the armories of antibiotics we have devised to combat ...
May 22, 2012 |
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Genes culled from desert soils suggest potential medical resource
Despite their ecologic similarity, soils from three geographically distinct areas of the American southwest harbor vastly different collections of small, biosynthetic genes, a finding that suggests the existence of a far ...
May 21, 2012 |
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Spain the dunces in international science test
Spaniards came bottom of the class in an 11-nation science test and nearly half of them could not name a single important scientist in history, a survey showed Tuesday.
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
May 08, 2012 |
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Target: Drug-resistant bacteria
Over the past several decades, scientists have faced challenges in developing new antibiotics even as bacteria have become increasingly resistant to existing drugs. One strategy that might combat such resistance ...
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
May 04, 2012 |
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Bacteria discovery could lead to antibiotics alternatives
Scientists have discovered an Achilles heel within our cells that bacteria are able to exploit to cause and spread infection.
May 03, 2012 |
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Rapid identification of superbugs and new drugs to combat them
(Phys.org) -- Synthetic biology is playing a key role in creating new tools for rapid detection of potentially fatal bacterial infections such as E. coli and allowing scientists to create novel molecules that may provide ...
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Apr 26, 2012 |
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Antibiotic resistance flourishes in freshwater systems
The author Dr. Seuss may have been on to something when he imagined that microscopic communities could live and flourish on small specs of dust, barely visible to the naked eye. In fact, such vibrant communities exist – ...
Apr 25, 2012 |
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Researchers have a natural sidekick that may resolve the antibiotic-resistant bacteria dilemma
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria continue to be a global concern with devastating repercussions, such as increased healthcare costs, potential spread of infections across continents, and prolonged illness.
Apr 25, 2012 |
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Scientists discover multiple gene switches in Salmonella, offer new ways to curb infection
Scientists have discovered multiple gene switches in Salmonella that offer new ways to curb human infection. The discovery of the mechanisms of gene regulation could lead to the development of antibiotics to reduce the le ...
Apr 23, 2012 |
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Pinpointing how antibiotics work
Penicillin and other antibiotics have revolutionized medicine, turning once-deadly diseases into easily treatable ailments. However, while antibiotics have been in use for more than 70 years, the exact mechanism ...
Apr 20, 2012 |
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Researchers find antibiotic-resistant bacteria deep in one of the largest, unspoiled underground caves
McMaster University and University of Akron researchers are leading the way in understanding the origins of antibiotic resistance, a global challenge that is creating a serious threat to the treatment of infectious ...
Apr 11, 2012 |
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FDA wants limits on antibiotics given to animals
(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration called on drug companies Wednesday to help limit the use of antibiotics given to farm animals, a decades-old practice that scientists say has contributed to a surge in dangerous, ...
Apr 11, 2012 |
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Evidence of banned antibiotics in poultry products found
In a joint study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University found evidence suggesting that a class of antibiotics previously banned by the U.S. government for poultry ...
Apr 05, 2012 |
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Disarming disease-causing bacteria
(PhysOrg.com) -- New treatments that combat the growing problem of antibiotic resistance by disarming rather than killing bacteria may be on the horizon, according to a new study.
Apr 04, 2012 |
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Antibiotic
In common usage, an antibiotic (from the Ancient Greek: ἀντί – anti, "against", and βίος – bios, "life") is a substance or compound that kills bacteria or inhibits their growth. Antibiotics belong to the broader group of antimicrobial compounds, used to treat infections caused by microorganisms, including fungi and protozoa.
The term "antibiotic" was coined by Selman Waksman in 1942 to describe any substance produced by a microorganism that is antagonistic to the growth of other microorganisms in high dilution. This original definition excluded naturally occurring substances that kill bacteria but are not produced by microorganisms (such as gastric juice and hydrogen peroxide) and also excluded synthetic antibacterial compounds such as the sulfonamides. Many antibiotics are relatively small molecules with a molecular weight less than 2000 Da.[citations needed]
With advances in medicinal chemistry, most antibiotics are now semisynthetic—modified chemically from original compounds found in nature, as is the case with beta-lactams (which include the penicillins, produced by fungi in the genus Penicillium, the cephalosporins, and the carbapenems). Some antibiotics are still produced and isolated from living organisms, such as the aminoglycosides, and others have been created through purely synthetic means: the sulfonamides, the quinolones, and the oxazolidinones. In addition to this origin-based classification into natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic, antibiotics may be divided into two broad groups according to their effect on microorganisms: those that kill bacteria are bactericidal agents, while those that only impair bacterial growth are known as bacteriostatic agents.
For more information about Antibiotic, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
