Pharmacology 2060A/B Lecture 16: Module 16 Antibiotics
20 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
Bacteria are single celled organisms that can be shaped as rods, spheres, or spirals. Bacteria occupy almost every habitat on earth, including humans: we have normal bacteria in our skin, mouth and intestinal tract. Most bacteria are rendered harmless by our immune system and some even play beneficial roles. However, some bacteria are pathogenic and cause diseases such as cholera, syphilis and tuberculosis. Before the discovery of antibiotics, bacterial infection was a major cause of morbidity and death: especially post war when people came back with lots of infections. Bacteria have a number of virulence factors that they use to cause infection (called virulence factors) Virulence factors include: fimbriae and pilli, flagella, secretion of toxins and enzymes, invasion. Fimbriae and pilli are hair like structures that project from the surface of bacterial cells. They allow bacteria to attach to certain sites in our body so they are not washed away: allow them to attach and mediate their infections.
