 | Term | Definition |
| |
antimicrobials |
drugs that counteract infection |
| |
antibiotic |
a chemical substance that has the capacity to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria |
| |
spectrum of action |
the range of bacteria that an antibiotic or antimicrobial will eradicate |
| |
narrow-spectrum antibiotics |
drugs that act specifically on the gram-positive or the gram-negative famalies of bacteria |
| |
broad-spectrum antibiotics |
drugs that act on both gram-positive and most gram-negative bacteria |
| |
bactericidal |
agent that kills bacteria |
| |
bacteriostatic |
agent that inhibits or slows the growth of bacteria |
| |
resistant |
the ability of a micoorganism to withstand doses of a drug that will kill or inhibit the growth of most members of its species |
| |
intermediate |
describes the ability of bacteria to sometimes be affected and sometimes not be affected by a particular antibiotic |
| |
sensitive |
the ability of a microorganism to be killed or its growth inhibited by an antibiotic |
| |
minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) |
the lowest concentration of a particular antibiotic that visually inhibits the growth of bacteria |
| |
antibiotic resistance |
condition in which bacteria continue to multiply despite administration of a particular antibiotic |
| |
antibiotic residues |
presence of an antibiotic or its metabolites in animal tissues or food products |
| |
beta-lactamase |
enzyme produces by some bacteria that destroys the beta-lactam ring of some antibiotics (such as penicillin and cephalosporin) |
| |
antifungals |
drugs that prevent or treat disease spread by fungi |
| |
antivirals |
drugs that prevent viral penetration of the host cell, or inhibit the virus's production of DNA or RNA |
| |
disinfectant |
chemical that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms on inanimate objects |
| |
antiseptics |
substances that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms on living tissue |
| |
germacide |
chemical that kills microorganisms |
| |
virucidal |
checmical that kills viruses |
| |
fungicidal |
chemical that kills fungi |
| |
sporicidal |
chemical that kills spores, which are especially resistant to chemicals |
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