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Antibiotic

"Antibacterial" redirects here. For other uses, see Antibacterial (disambiguation).
This article is about treatment of bacterial infection. For anti-tumor antibiotics, see Chemotherapy § Cytotoxic antibiotics.

Antibiotic
Drug class
Testing the susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus to antibiotics by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method – antibiotics diffuse from antibiotic-containing disks and inhibit growth of S. aureus, resulting in a zone of inhibition.
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In Wikidata

An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections.[1][2] They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. A limited number of antibiotics also possess antiprotozoal activity.[3][4] Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the ones which cause the common cold or influenza.[5] Drugs which inhibit growth of viruses are termed antiviral drugs or antivirals. Antibiotics are also not effective against fungi. Drugs which inhibit growth of fungi are called antifungal drugs.

Sometimes, the term antibiotic—literally "opposing life", from the Greek roots ἀντι anti, "against" and βίος bios, "life"—is broadly used to refer to any substance used against microbes, but in the usual medical usage, antibiotics (such as penicillin) are those produced naturally (by one microorganism fighting another), whereas non-antibiotic antibacterials (such as sulfonamides and antiseptics) are fully synthetic. However, both classes have the same effect of killing or preventing the growth of microorganisms, and both are included in antimicrobial chemotherapy. "Antibacterials" include bactericides, bacteriostatics, antibacterial soaps, and chemical disinfectants, whereas antibiotics are an important class of antibacterials used more specifically in medicine[6] and sometimes in livestock feed.

Antibiotics have been used since ancient times. Many civilizations used topical application of moldy bread, with many references to its beneficial effects arising from ancient Egypt, Nubia, China, Serbia, Greece, and Rome.[7] The first person to directly document the use of molds to treat infections was John Parkinson (1567–1650). Antibiotics revolutionized medicine in the 20th century. Synthetic antibiotic chemotherapy as a science and development of antibacterials began in Germany with Paul Ehrlich in the late 1880s.[8] Alexander Fleming (1881–1955) discovered modern day penicillin in 1928, the widespread use of which proved significantly beneficial during wartime. The first sulfonamide and the first systemically active antibacterial drug, Prontosil, was developed by a research team led by Gerhard Domagk in 1932 or 1933 at the Bayer Laboratories of the IG Farben conglomerate in Germany.[9][10][11] However, the effectiveness and easy access to antibiotics have also led to their overuse[12] and some bacteria have evolved resistance to them.[1][13][14][15] Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a naturally occurring process, is driven largely by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials.[16][17] Yet, at the same time, many people around the world do not have access to essential antimicrobials.[17] The World Health Organization has classified AMR as a widespread "serious threat [that] is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country".[18] Each year, nearly 5 million deaths are associated with AMR globally.[17] Global deaths attributable to AMR numbered 1.27 million in 2019.[19]

  1. ^ a b "Antibiotics". NHS. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Factsheet for experts". European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. ^ For example, metronidazole: "Metronidazole". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. ^ Chemical Analysis of Antibiotic Residues in Food. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2012. pp. 1–60. ISBN 978-1-4496-1459-1.
  5. ^ "Why antibiotics can't be used to treat your cold or flu". www.health.qld.gov.au. 6 May 2017. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  6. ^ "General Background: Antibiotic Agents". Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  7. ^ Gould K (March 2016). "Antibiotics: from prehistory to the present day". Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 71 (3): 572–575. doi:10.1093/jac/dkv484. ISSN 0305-7453. PMID 26851273.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference CALDERIN2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference goodman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Aminov RI (2010). "A brief history of the antibiotic era: lessons learned and challenges for the future". Frontiers in Microbiology. 1: 134. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2010.00134. PMC 3109405. PMID 21687759.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bosch2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Laxminarayan R, Duse A, Wattal C, Zaidi AK, Wertheim HF, Sumpradit N, et al. (December 2013). "Antibiotic resistance-the need for global solutions". The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. 13 (12): 1057–98. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(13)70318-9. hdl:10161/8996. PMID 24252483. S2CID 19489131. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  13. ^ Brooks M (16 November 2015). "Public Confused About Antibiotic Resistance, WHO Says". Medscape Multispeciality. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  14. ^ Gould K (March 2016). "Antibiotics: from prehistory to the present day". The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 71 (3): 572–5. doi:10.1093/jac/dkv484. PMID 26851273.
  15. ^ Gualerzi CO, Brandi L, Fabbretti A, Pon CL (4 December 2013). Antibiotics: Targets, Mechanisms and Resistance. John Wiley & Sons. p. 1. ISBN 978-3-527-33305-9.
  16. ^ "About Antimicrobial Resistance". US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b c "Better use of vaccines could reduce antibiotic use by 2.5 billion doses annually, says WHO". World Health Organization. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  18. ^ Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance (PDF). The World Health Organization. April 2014. ISBN 978-92-4-156474-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  19. ^ Murray CJ, Ikuta KS, Sharara F, Swetschinski L, Robles Aguilar G, Gray A, et al. (February 2022). "Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis". Lancet. 399 (10325): 629–655. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0. PMC 8841637. PMID 35065702.

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