ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS

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Objectives
 Discuss on the characteristics of antimicrobial
agents
 List the mechanisms of modes of actions of
antimicrobial agents
 Classify antimicrobial agents based on their
mechanisms of actions

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Outline
 Definition of Terms
 Characteristics of antibiotics
 Classification of antimicrobial agents
 Modes of actions of antimicrobial agents
 Anti-microbial sensitivity testing

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Definition of Terms
 Antibiotics
 Antimicrobial agents
 Selective toxicity
 Micro-biocidal
 Micro-biostatic

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Characteristics of Antibiotics
 Wide spectrum of activity
 Nontoxic to the host
 Chemically -stable
 Inexpensive and easy to produce
 Unlikely to develop microbial resistance

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Classification
 Origin/ sources
 Target organisms
 Spectrum of Action
 Modes of Action

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1. Origin/ sources
 Antibiotics
 Synthetics
 Semi-synthetics
 Synthetic antibiotics

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Classification cont’d
2. Target organisms
 Anti-bacterial
 Anti-viral
 Anti-fungal
 Anti-parasitic

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3. Spectrum of Action
 Limited
 Narrow
 Broad

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4. Modes of Action
 Cell wall synthesis
 Cell membrane
 Protein synthesis
 Nucleic acid synthesis
 Folic acid synthesis

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Figure: modes of action of drugs 11
Antimicrobial Resistance
 The survival and growth of a microbe in the
presence of a particular drug
 The reduction in effectiveness of a
medication

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 Mechanisms
 Production of enzymes
 Changes in the bacterial cell membrane
 Modification of the target
 Development of metabolic pathways
 Increasing the production of a certain
bacterial metabolites

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Figure: Drug resistance mechanisms 14
Control of Resistance
 Conservative and specific use
 Adequate dosage and duration of therapy
 Select antimicrobials according to
susceptibility
 Use narrow-spectrum antibiotics

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 Use antimicrobial combinations
 Avoid environmental contamination
 Monitor resistant organisms and
determinants
 Restrict the use of for non-medical use

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AST
 Measure the ability of the drug to inhibit or
kill pathogens in vitro
 Performed:
 For organisms with variable antibiotic sensitivity
 For non responding patients after taking adequate
therapy
 For Immuno-compromised patients
 For relapsing cases (reappearance of disease)

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Sensitivity Testing Techniques

1. Diffusion technique
2. Dilution technique

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 Diffusion Techniques
 Disk diffusion methods
 Well diffusion methods

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 Disk -diffusion testing
 Standardized inoculums of the test microbe is
inoculated on agar plates
 Filter paper discs containing a test compound
at a desired concentration are placed on the
agar surface
 Incubated under suitable conditions

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 Diameters of zones of inhibition are
measured
 Many advantages over other methods;
Simplicity, and low cost
Flexibility in disk selection
Ability to test enormous numbers of
microorganisms and antimicrobial agents
Easiness of result interpretation

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 Disadvantages
 Lacks automation
 Not suitable for fastidious and slow-growing
microorganisms
 Fails to distinguish bactericidal and bacterio-
static effects

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 Well diffusion method
 A standardized volume of the microbial
inoculums is inoculated over the entire agar
surface
 A hole is aseptically formed by a sterile cork
borer

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 20–100µL of the antimicrobial agent or extract
solution at desired concentration is introduced
into the well
 Incubated under suitable conditions
 Inhibition of the growth of the tested
microorganism is achieved by the antimicrobial
agent diffused to the agar medium

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 Dilution methods
 Agar dilution
 Broth dilution

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 Broth dilution
 Macro-dilution
 Micro-dilution

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 Agar dilution
 Varying concentration of the antimicrobial
agent is incorporated into an agar medium
 Standardized inoculum of the test
microorganism is inoculated onto the agar
plate surface

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 The lowest concentration of antimicrobial
agent that completely inhibits the growth of
tested microorganism under suitable
incubation conditions is recorded as MIC

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 Factors Influencing Zone Size in Disc
Diffusion Test
 Inoculums' density (bacterial density)
 Time of disc application
 Temperature

 Depth of the agar

 Potency of the disk

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Summary
 Define antimicrobial agents
 What are the classifications of antimicrobial
agents?
 List the modes of action of antimicrobial
agents
 Describe Sensitivity Testing Techniques

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