Introduction.
Antimicrobial agents refer to an exceptional group of chemotherapeutic agents that are used in the treatment of the diseases caused by microbes. Generally, antimicrobial agents either kill or inhibit the growth of microbes. As its name suggests, Antimicrobial encompasses its sole purpose which is to kill the infections arising from microbes (Daglia, 2012). Furthermore, these agents can be categorized according to the function they play. For example, agents that are responsible for killing microbes are known as microbicidal whereas those that merely inhibit the growth of microbes are known as biostatic (Ghosh et al., 2012). Antimicrobial drugs are not only used for microbes but also, some are employed in the agri-food industry for the purpose of growth promotion and development of feed efficiency (Verma et al., 2015).
Categories of antimicrobial agents.
Antimicrobial agents are classified into various categories depending on the function they perform. These categories include:
Disinfectants.
These are “non-selective antimicrobials” that kill a variety of microbes on the surfaces of non-living things to prevent the spread of infections (Daglia, 2012). A good example of a disinfectant is the bleach.
Antiseptics.
These aid in reducing the susceptibility of getting infected especially during surgery.
Antibiotics.
Initially, the term antibiotics were only used to describe formulations that were derived from living organisms (Daglia, 2012). Currently, its application is also utilized in synthetic antimicrobials such as sulphonamides or fluoroquinolones (Ghosh et al., 2012).
Differences between viral and bacterial infections.
Viral infection refers to a disease that is caused by different types of viruses. Viruses refer to minute living organisms that rely on the host such as plants, people or animals so as to multiply. Their entry to the body results to viral infections this is possible through an invasion of the cell machinery and the redirection to produce virus. An example of diseases caused by the virus includes: AIDS, Chickenpox, and Common colds (Kumar et al., 2014).
Bacterial infection refers to the diseases caused by bacteria. Whereas viruses depend on the host so as to multiply, bacteria can survive independently (Pucci et al., 2013). Moreover, bacteria are single-celled organisms and can be killed by interfering with their metabolism which is exactly what antibiotics do.
For viruses they are not cells and cannot survive alone, they are a clean chain of DNA and require host cell so as to stay alive (Ghosh et al., 2012). Furthermore, viral infections cannot be treated by the use of antibiotics. On the contrary, in some cases, antibiotics may result to side-effects which complicate the viral infection (Kumar et al., 2014). The majority of the viral infections are effectively fought through the body’s immune mechanisms in conjunction with proper diet, hydration and rest (Pucci et al., 2013).
Explain why proper identification of viral and bacterial infections is essential to selecting the proper antimicrobial agent.
Antimicrobial agent refers to the essential components in the treatment of several infections caused by bacteria (Ghosh et al., 2012). They work by helping in killing or preventing microbial growth such as fungi and protozoans (Daglia, 2012). Before antimicrobial agents were discovered, treatment for bacterial infections was limited resulting to amputation of limbs or even death. Nowadays, options for treatment of bacterial infections have a more optimistic prognosis (Ghosh et al., 2012). As a consequence of the various type of infections presented in patients, proper identification of viral and bacterial infections is critical in the identification of the underlying cause of infection because it helps in identifying whether or not an antimicrobial agent dims fit the specific infection or not (Kumar et al., 2014). Also, it contributes to determining which specific agent will target the infection. As a matter of fact, Antimicrobials are only meant to be used for the prevention of infection in instances where research has illustrated the possibility of benefits outweighing the risk (Verma et al., 2015). Also, the preferable choice of anti-microbial agent is mostly determined by the sensitivity of the identified causative organism that should be well known.
References.
Daglia, M. (2012). Polyphenols as antimicrobial agents. Current opinion in biotechnology, 23(2), 174-181.
Ghosh, S., Patil, S., Ahire, M., Kitture, R., Kale, S., Pardesi, K., & Chopade, B. A. (2012). Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Dioscorea bulbifera tuber extract and evaluation of its synergistic potential in combination with antimicrobial agents. International journal of nanomedicine,7, 483.
Kumar, S., & Engelberg-Kulka, H. (2014). Quorum sensing peptides mediating interspecies bacterial cell death as a novel class of antimicrobial agents. Current opinion in microbiology, 21, 22-27.
Pucci, M. J., & Bush, K. (2013). Investigational antimicrobial agents of 2013.Clinical microbiology reviews, 26(4), 792-821.
Verma, P., Berwal, P. K., Nagaraj, N., Swami, S., Jivaji, P., & Narayan, S. (2015). Neonatal sepsis: epidemiology, clinical spectrum, recent antimicrobial agents and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 2(3), 176-180.
