Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ANTIBIOTICS
ANTIBIOTICS
These are chemical substances that either kill or inhibit the growth of
bacteria. Those that kill bacteria are called Bacteriocidal. Those that inhibit
growth of bacteria are called Bacteriostatic. Antibiotics target different
sites/processes in bacteria. Antibiotics are usually designed to affect some
structure/process found in prokaryotic cells only! This ensures that the
antibiotics do not harm human cells i.e. antibiotics must show selective
toxicity.
Penicillin inhibits the enzyme that catalyses the synthesis of peptide cross
linkages in the murein walls. Therefore there are very few or no peptide
cross liknks in the murein. This results in function of weak murein wall
which explodes when the cell absorbs water. But the penicillin have no
effect on walls that were formed earlier. It only affects the new walls, found
as the bacteria divide in the presence of penicillin.
NB
For penicillin to affect the bacteria they must be dividing. This is why
antibiotics usually act over five to seven days.
SPONTANEOUS
1. Appears suddenly
2. seen in very few people
3. its random
4. can be passed to next generation
5. arises as a result of mutation
ACQUIRED
1. it is when non resistant bacteria aquire
resistance from few resistant mutants.
2. it is responsible for most of the
spreading of resistancein bacterial
population.
QUESTIONS
HIV is a retro-virus. These are viruses that have genetic material in the form
of RNA and have to copy the RNA into DNA by using reverse transcription
enzyme.
Once HIV produces DNA from its RNA the DNA is integrated into host
cells DNA. There it remains normal for sometime giving no sign of its
presence or it can take over the host cells genetic machinery to produce new
viruses.
After the HIV binds to CD4 receptor the viral envelope uses with membrane
of helper T-cell. The viral core is released into the cell.
Protease enzymes digest the capsids releasing the RNA strands and reverse
transcriptase enzyme into the cytoplasm of T-cell. The reverse transcriptase
copies viral RNA into viral DNA also known as provirus DNA.
Pro-virus DNA then gets integrated into host cells DNA by action of
integrase enzyme. The pro-virus DNA remains domant in host cells DNA
for a variable period of time called the latency period. After the latency
period is over no virus DNA gets transcripted to form new viral RNA and
viral mRNA molecules that will be used to synthesis new viral capsomers,
new reverse transciptase protease and integrase enzyme.
The infected T-helper cell is destroyed or dies. With time the number of
helper T-cells also called CD4 cells decrease resulting in a gradual decline in
the immune system i.e. immuno-suppression.
Since helper T-lymphoctes usually produce cytokines are necessary for the
functioning of B-lymphocytes. T-lymphocytes and phagocytes, both are
specific and non-specific immune response to get suppressed. The person
becomes susceptible to opportunistic infections. Normally harmless micro-
organisms now multiply widely in the body causing AIDS.
No symptoms
Duration depends on diet/nutrition, lining conditions and access to
anti-retroviral drugs
Virus is replicating and infecting new CD4 T-helper cells.
Affected person can infect others.
Transmission
Treatment
There is no cure for AIDS but anti-retrovirals can be used to inhibit HIV
replication and show the progression of AIDS. Therefore the drugs available
today only delay the onset of AIDS. Some of the ARVs are nucleoside
analogs which block conversion of RNA to DNA. They resemble naturally
occurring nucleosides but cannot be incorparated into active sites of enzyme
that converts viral RNA to DNA.
However these drugs have harmful side effects e.g. damage bone marrow
causing anemia.