MLT1 TASK 10
A.
Selectively toxic drug therapy is highly effective in killing a microorganism but not harming the host. It is only toxic to the bad while preserving the good. Antimicrobials that are selectively toxic are important when targeting a certain microbe in the body thereby causing no toxicity to the other cells in the body. Humans have certain bacteria that are considered good bacteria and therefore treating an infection with a selectively toxic agent would preserve the healthy bacteria in our body.
B.
Broad spectrum antibiotics are effective in inhibiting growth in a wide variety of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Such antibiotics are very important when time is limited in determining what kind of bacteria is causing a life-threatening infection. They are also beneficial when the exact bacteria that is causing the infection is unknown. Also, some infections are not just caused by one type of microorganism. However, there are certain types of bacteria that have developed resistance to broad spectrum antibiotics. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics are effective against killing just gram-positive or just gram-negative bacteria. They target the bacteria that is causing the infection while not killing as many or any of the normal bacteria. These antibiotics also cause less resistance to the bacteria. A disadvantage of narrow-spectrum antibiotics is that they can only be used to treat an infection in which the bacteria that has caused it is known.

C. Certain enzymes may cause inactivation of antibiotics which causes resistance to antimicrobial agents. The bacteria’s target site may change in some way which reduces the effectiveness of antimicrobials. Certain bacteria are able to neutralize the agent and even prevent the agent from getting into the bacteria. Some bacteria may become resistant by changing their cell wall