Antimicrobial Applications: Uses and Benefits

Antimicrobial applications involve the use of substances or treatments to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and prevent infections.
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Microbial Growth | Infection Prevention | Antibiotic Resistance | Antimicrobial Agents | Microorganism Inhibition | Infection Control
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Antimicrobial Applications FAQ


Image credit: frontiersin.org

What is an antimicrobial medicine?

An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms ( microbicide) or stops their growth ( bacteriostatic agent ). Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals are used against fungi.

What is an antimicrobial agent?

Antimicrobial agent, any of a variety of chemical compounds and physical agents used to destroy microorganisms or to prevent their development. The production and use of the antibiotic penicillin in the early 1940s formed the basis for modern antimicrobial therapy. Learn more about antimicrobial agents.

What are antimicrobials & how do they work?

Antimicrobials refer to a group of agents that share the common aim of reducing the possibility of infection and sepsis. Antibiotics are often derived from moulds or are made synthetically and are absorbed into the body with the aim of killing bacteria (bactericidal) or preventing their multiplication (bacteriostatic).

What are antimicrobial and anti-infective drugs?

The terms antimicrobial, antibiotic, and anti-infective encompass a wide variety of pharmaceutical agents that include antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic drugs. Of these, antibacterial agents are by far the most commonly used and thus are the focus of this article, although similar principles apply to the other agents as well.

Which antimicrobial agents are used in the treatment of disease?

Thus, antimicrobial agents that are used in the treatment of disease include synthetic chemicals as well as chemical substances or metabolic products made by microorganisms and chemical substances derived from plants.

Are antimicrobial agents effective in preventing bacterial infection?

To address the serious threat of bacterial infection to public health, great efforts have been devoted to the development of antimicrobial agents for inhibiting bacterial growth, preventing biofilm formation, and sterilization.

How do antimicrobial agents affect microorganisms?

The use of antimicrobial agents, in particular the broad-spectrum agents, can result in an alteration in the number and type of microorganisms normally found on the skin and mucosal surfaces. This is due to the inhibitory activity of the antimicrobial agent on sensitive microorganisms found on these tissues.

Antimicrobial Applications References

If you want to know more about Antimicrobial Applications, consider exploring links below:

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