MSc Biotechnology, Bioprocessing & Business Management

2014/15

Module name and number
Fundamentals of Biotechnology: BS934

Assignment title
Antimicrobials

Student Number
1464986

Word Count
2470

The article will initially cover conventional antibiotics and how their abuse led to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Alternative antimicrobials will be reviewed by taking into consideration their mechanisms of action and how they can represent a viable option to address the issue of antibiotic resistance.
Antimicrobial Background
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Figure 1: Structure of penicillin and β-lactam ring (Adapted from LNLS, 2013)
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Figure 1: Structure of penicillin and β-lactam ring (Adapted from LNLS, 2013)
Antimicrobials are substances that kill or suppress microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses (EPA, 2014). The first evidence of antimicrobials dates back to the Egyptians who used mouldy bread to treat surface infections (Wainwright, 1989). At the beginning of the 20th century, Paul Ehrlich synthesized the first antimicrobial agent known as Salvarsan, a drug used for treating syphilis (Aminov, 2010). Successively Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by noticing that the growth of Staphylococcus aureus was inhibited in presence of the mold produced by Penicillium fungi. This led to the conclusion that microorganisms produce substances to limit the growth of other competing microorganisms (Amrls, 2014). From that moment onwards, new types of antimicrobial agents were developed such as streptomycin, chloramphenicol, macrolide and tetracycline, causing a significant decrease in the mortality rate due to bacterial infections (Saga and Yamaguchi, 2009). “By the end of the Second World it was possible to say that almost all of the major