ARTICLES
An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the
growth of bacteria. Antibiotics are one class of
antimicrobials, a larger group which also includes
anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic drugs.
Antibiotics are chemicals produced by or derived
from microorganisms (i.e. bugs or germs such as
bacteria and fungi). The first antibiotic was discovered
by Alexander Fleming in 1928 in a significant breakthrough
for medical science.
The word "antibiotics" comes from the
Greek anti ("against") and bios ("life").
Antibiotics are drugs that either destroy bacteria
or prevent their reproduction. Antibiotics that
kill bacteria are called "bactericidal" and
the ones that stop the growth of bacteria are called "bacteriostatic".
Cephalosporins are the most frequently prescribed
class of antibiotics. Cephalosporins are bactericidal
agents, which means that they kill bacteria. They
have the same mode of action as as penicillins.
All bacterial cells have a cell wall that protects
them. Cephalosporins disrupt the synthesis of the
peptidoglycan layer of bacterial cell walls, which
causes the walls to break down and eventually the
bacteria die.
