Narrow-Spectrum Drugs Vs. Broad-Spectrum Drugs

In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.

Modern-day advances have allowed scientists to develop methods to control pathogens. The more common methods include the use of antiseptics, antibiotics, and vaccines. By definition, antiseptics are chemicals used to kill pathogens. A few widespread antiseptics include soap, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. Antiseptics are primarily used for the external destruction of pathogens, while antibiotics and vaccines target internal pathogens. Nevertheless, there are and can be difficulties concerning the use of antibiotics. “As antibiotic use has become more common, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have evolved.” This resistance due to evolution is called antibiotic resistance. It results in the antibiotics having no effect whatsoever on the bacteria, rendering the antibiotics useless. When antibiotic resistance occurs, scientists must resume their search to create a new medicine to can kill the mutant bacteria.

Antibiotics either stop the bacterial cell from reproducing or kill the cell. They can disrupt the bacteria by deterring

Section 3 of the Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health Act or the PATH Act, which call for current PATH Act legislation to be modified so that it “will allow health experts to more easily develop new treatments for antibiotic resistant bacteria, and make real progress in presenting a great number of illnesses and deaths in the United States”1. In addition, this new legislation will impact Section 506 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C 356) by introducing into its current language a new subsection (g) “Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial Drugs”. Thus creating new avenues for the introduction of alternative treatments for limited populations based on the recommendation of Secretary

Health experts know that most antibiotic products interfere with the immune system and the digestive system. Most of these products quell probiotic bacteria

If the patient reaches the third stage, the antibiotics may not work. During the time of the bubonic plague and the Black Death they didn’t have antidote to be treated with. Antibiotics did

What do you think are the most important changes in chemotherapeutic management of microbial disease?

Most drug lists have at least three or four tiers of drugs. The tier determines

Hart was the differences in antibiotics. Different medications have different mechanisms of action, which determines which microorganisms they can treat. Dr. Hart spent time explaining some of the different antibiotics and their uses in treatment.

Drugs are used in these cases but the results are not always fortunate. Though the vast majority of drugs are used to treat medical conditions, there are also the few

When there is disagreement amongst clinicians about categorization, refer to additional literature to reach a consensus

care purposes and develop different repercussions with overuse. First, antibiotics, composed of microorganisms such as streptomycin and

All this type of medication have the similar action at the cellular level they inhibit intercellular calcium ion influx.

be less likely to be infected by the virus(Carson-DeWitt). Antibiotics are only given to the patient if

In order for the “magic bullet” to effectively target all sorts of microbes, including gram positive/negative, acid fast, viruses, parasites and fungi, it would need to be broad spectrum. By allowing it to be broad spectrum it will target various forms of microbes, not just one type. Target sites would include cell wall, metabolic, cytoplasm membrane and nucleic acid inhibition. Protein synthesis inhibition will not be used, for the risk that it might affect 70s ribosomes within the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells. This medication would be taken orally so a wide number of patients can use.