micro chapter 10
Streptomycin, tetracyclines, and macrolides are classes of antibiotics known to primarily target which microbial component?
Bacterial protein synthesis.
Bacteriophages are being explored as a treatment for bacterial infections because they
Are viruses that specifically infect and lyse bacterial cells.
A narrow spectrum antimicrobial drug primarily targets
Specific types of bacteria or fungi exclusively.
Which of the following is a major target site for antimicrobial drug action?
The bacterial cell wall synthesis pathway.
Many antiviral drugs work by interfering with which crucial viral process?
Blocking the replication of viral genetic material.
The principle of selective toxicity refers to a drug's ability to
Kill or inhibit microbial cells without damaging host tissues.
Which of the following is a mechanism by which antiviral drugs can negatively affect viruses?
Preventing the virus from attaching to host cells.
The general effect of drugs like streptomycin and tetracyclines on bacteria is to
Interfere with ribosome activity, stopping protein production.
An antimicrobial agent classified as broad spectrum is effective against
A wide variety of different microbial groups.
Which antimicrobial drug mechanism typically exhibits the highest selective toxicity?
Inhibition of cell wall synthesis, such as by penicillins.
The high selective toxicity of drugs targeting the bacterial cell wall is primarily due to
The absence of a cell wall in human host cells.
Polymyxins inhibit bacterial cells primarily by
Disrupting the integrity of the bacterial cell membrane.
A structural feature common to all penicillins is the presence of a
Beta-lactam ring, essential for their antibacterial action.
A microbistatic agent works by
Reversibly inhibiting the growth of microbes.
The primary target site for the action of penicillin is the
Bacterial cell wall synthesis.
Which general mechanism describes how some antimicrobials inhibit nucleic acid function?
Interfering with DNA replication or RNA transcription processes.
A drug described as microbicidal is designed to
Kill microorganisms outright and permanently.
Inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis is a common mechanism for antimicrobial drugs, targeting which structure?
The bacterial ribosomal machinery.
Drug resistance refers to the ability of a pathogen to
Tolerate an amount of drug that would normally be inhibitory.
Rifampin, an antimicrobial drug, primarily acts by inhibiting
Bacterial RNA polymerase, thus preventing transcription.
Quinolones are a class of antimicrobial drugs that inhibit bacterial
DNA replication by targeting DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV.
What is the primary goal of antimicrobial chemotherapy?
To reduce the number of microbes without harming the host cells.
One common way in which antimicrobial resistance arises in bacterial populations is through
Spontaneous mutations in bacterial genes.
Which of the following organisms is an example of an "Urgent Threat" in terms of antimicrobial resistance?
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter species.
Sulfa drugs and trimethoprim inhibit prokaryotic growth by targeting which metabolic pathway?
Synthesis of essential nucleic acid precursors (folic acid).