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antibiotic
A substance that is capable of stopping the growth of, or destroying, bacteria and other microorganisms which cause bacterial disease. Many antibiotics are themselves produced by microorganisms (bacteria and molds). Antibiotics are germicides that are safe enough to be swallowed or injected into the body.
The introduction of antibiotics, from about the time of World War II, has revolutionized medical science, making possible the virtual elimination of once widespread and often fatal diseases, including typhoid fever, plague, and cholera. Some antibiotics are selective – that is, effective against specific microorganisms; those effective against a large number of microorganisms are known as broad-spectrum antibiotics. Some important antibiotics are: penicillin, the first widely used antibiotic, streptomycin, and the tetracyclines and cephalosporins. Because some bacteria, once sensitive to certain antibiotics, have now become resistant to them, there is a constant search for new antibiotics.
Antibiotics do not fight infections caused by viruses, such as colds, flu, most coughs and bronchitis, and sore throats, unless caused by strep.
See also antiseptic.
Related categories
• BIOCHEMISTRY
• HEALTH AND DISEASE
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