Review of Related Literature

Antibiotics disrupt essential processes or structures in the bacterial cell. This either kills the
bacterium or slows down bacterial growth. Since the middle of this century, antibiotics have
been used very successfully to fight against infections. The first of them was
penicillin, discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. This antibiotic is produced by
the fungus Penicillium notatum. The role of an antibacterial therapy is to support
the functions of the body's immune system by killing the bacterial pathogens
(bactericidal effect), or at least preventing the pathogen multiplication
(bacteriostatic effect). These effects include delayed germination and post-
germinative development. Effects were species and functional group dependent,
with herbs being more sensitive to antibiotics then grasses. Responses were either
negative or positive, depending on plant species and antibiotic. There are two main
types of antibiotics. Antibiotics may be bacteriostatic, or bactericidal. Bacteriostatic
antibiotics prevent further growth and replication of the bacteria. Bacteriostatic
antibiotics disrupt the bacteria’s protein production, DNA replication, or metabolism,
thus stopping the bacteria from growing or reproducing any further. Tetracycline is
an example of bacteriostatic antibiotics. Bacteriacidal antibiotics kill the bacteria.
Usually by destroying bacterial cell wall, bactericidal antibiotics cause a lethal
disruption of the bacteria’s cell structure. Penicillin is an example of this type of
antibiotics.

We can investigate the effect of antibiotics against bacteria using an agar plate
of bacteria and antibiotic paper discs. As the antibiotics kill the bacteria, there
should be an area of clearing around the paper discs, the radius of which we can
measure to compare how effective different antibiotics are against the same
bacteria. They work by killing bacteria or preventing their growth and spread.
Antibiotics do not work against viral infections, such as the common cold or flu.
Antibiotics work by targeting specific processes in bacteria, such as their ability to
produce cell walls or proteins. This leads to death of the bacteria or stops their
growth and spread. Different antibiotics target different parts of bacteria and work
in different ways, making it important to choose the right antibiotic for a particular
infection. There are common side effects of antibiotics which includes nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, and yeast infections. Some antibiotics can also
interact with other medications and cause additional side effects. Scientists can test
out the effectiveness of antibiotics and antiseptics on bacterial growth. Bacteria will
grow easily on an agar plate. By adding filter paper soaked in a variety of anti-
microbial solutions to the pre-prepared agar plate, scientists can find out how good
the solutions are at killing bacteria. Antibiotics or antiseptics can be tested
experimentally on pre-prepared agar plates. A clear area (zone of inhibition) in the
plate indicates that the bacteria have been killed by the solution or have not been
able to reproduce. Antibiotics can either kill or slow the growth of bacteria. A
bactericidal antibiotic kills the bacteria while the bacteriostatic antibiotics stop
bacterial growth without killing them. The human immune system is then needed to
clear the infection.