UNSW Cell Biology

Medicine: Health Maintenance- Antibiotics

Introduction

Antibiotics are used to prevent bacteria from proliferating and causing disease. They only became available from about the middle of last century (1940) and we now have a large number of different antibiotics clinically available.

With the rise in general use of antibiotics there has also been a rise (selection) of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics are also used in research in the selection of bacteria containing genetically modified plasmids of research interest.

Note the difference in US spelling Procaryotic and UK spelling Prokaryotic.

Study Guide

The study guides below should be used in the order Brief -> Detailed -> In Depth depending how much time you have for this topic. Note that the information at each level is not duplicated on the next level, so do not go immediately to In Depth work through each level. External Links may open in a new browser window, close or minimise the new window to see the original Study Guide page.

Brief Study (1-15 minutes)

Start by looking at the key online cell biology textbooks.

These links will give you an introduction to antibiotics, their mechanism of action, and some images.

Detailed Study (15-30 minutes)

Next- more detailed antibiotics online resources introduce key initiators, and pathways.

In Depth (+30 minutes)

Then- look at the signaling pathways that mediate antibiotic function.

Includes links to review articles and research labs.

Links

Search NLM Online Textbooks- "antibiotics"

Molecular Biology of the Cell

Molecular Cell Biology

The Cell- A molecular Approach

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