Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design

Anti-Microbials and Antibiotics

Agents that kill microbes are called microbicidal, while those that merely inhibit their growth are called biostatic. The use of antimicrobial medicines to treat infection is known as antimicrobial chemotherapy, while the use of antimicrobial medicines to prevent infection is known as antimicrobial prophylaxis. The main classes of antimicrobial agents are disinfectants

Antibiotics are powerful medicines that fight bacterial infections. Most antibiotics fall into their individual antibiotic classes. An antibiotic class is a grouping of different drugs that have similar chemical and pharmacologic properties. Some antibiotics work by killing germs (bacteria or the parasite). This is often done by interfering with the structure of the cell wall of the bacterium or parasite. Some work by stopping bacteria or the parasite from multiplying. Most side-effects of antibiotics are not serious. Common side-effects include soft stools (feces), diarrhea, or mild stomach upset such as feeling sick (nausea).