Antimicrobials and Drug Resistance

Antimicrobials

An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth.  They are classified according to their mode of action on specific microorganism .. Depending on the range of bacterial species susceptible to these agents, antibacterials are classified as broad spectrum, intermediate-spectrum, or narrow- spectrum.  Non –pharmaceuticals antimicrobial give a wide range of chemical and natural compounds  used as antimicrobials. Organic acids are used widely as antimicrobials in food products. The Immunology of host defence peptides gives diverse actions of HDPs.The use and misuse of antimicrobial drugs accelerates the emergence of drug-resistant strains.Post-antibiotic era refers to a time when a number of infectious diseases will be unresponsive to antibiotic treatments.