- Key People:
- Albert C. Barnes
- Related Topics:
- vaccine
- antiseptic
- disinfectant
- germicide
- antibacterial agent
antimicrobial agent
-
What is an antimicrobial agent?
An antimicrobial agent is a chemical compound or physical agent that destroys microorganisms or prevents their development. The production and use of penicillin in the early 1940s started the era of modern antimicrobial therapy. Since then, many other antibiotics and antimicrobials have been found and put to use.
Antimicrobial drugs can be synthetic chemicals, metabolic products from microorganisms, or chemical substances from plants. They can prevent or treat disease caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, or helminths.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How do antimicrobial agents work to fight germs?
Antimicrobial agents combat germs through various mechanisms, acting either to destroy microorganisms or to prevent their development. These agents target microbes via different modes of action, such as dissolving microbial cells, penetrating cells to disrupt essential transport systems, or coagulating vital materials within the cells, which ultimately destroys the microorganisms.
Antimicrobial drugs can be synthetic chemicals, metabolic products from microorganisms, or substances derived from plants. While some antimicrobial agents affect specific microorganisms without harming host cells, others may have toxic effects on humans but are used due to their favorable chemotherapeutic index. The development of resistance to antimicrobial drugs has spurred the ongoing search for new agents.
6 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some common types of antimicrobial agents?
Antimicrobial agents are compounds that either kill microorganisms or prevent their development and have been the basis for modern antimicrobial therapy since the early 1940s. They can be classified into three main types: synthetic chemicals, substances produced by microorganisms, and plant-derived substances.
Common types of antimicrobial agents include:
- Antibiotics Antibiotics combat microbes, specifically killing or inhibiting bacteria. Some common antibiotics are gentamicin and tobramycin.
- Antifungal drugs These selectively target fungal pathogens, with major groups including polyenes, azoles, and allyamines. Examples include clotrimazole and miconazole.
- Antiparasitic drugs These are divided into antiprotozoal agents and antihelminthic agents. Commonly used antiprotozoal drugs include metronidazole and amphotericin B.
5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How do antibiotics differ from antivirals and antifungals?
Antimicrobial agents combat microorganisms, but they differ in their targets and mechanisms. Antibiotics target bacteria by weakening or killing them, often by interfering with cell wall formation. Antiviral drugs inhibit virus replication inside host cells, acting at various stages of the viral cycle, such as attachment, uncoating, or synthesis of viral components. Antifungal drugs selectively target fungal pathogens to treat mycosis. They include polyenes, azoles, and allyamines, which vary in chemical structure and action.
6 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is it important to use the right antimicrobial agent for a specific infection?
Using the correct antimicrobial agent is vital because it ensures the targeted bacterium is sensitive to the drug, achieving a concentration high enough to eradicate the infection without causing side effects.
If the antimicrobial agent cannot penetrate the organism, is deactivated, or if the organism lacks a sensitive site, the microorganism will not be affected and will be considered resistant. Resistance can also occur through genetic mutations, acquisition of new genetic material, or transfer of plasmids between bacteria. The improper use of antibiotics exerts selective pressure, killing sensitive organisms and allowing resistant ones to thrive. Using broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents can disrupt the balance of microorganisms, potentially leading to the overgrowth of resistant organisms.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How can improper use of antimicrobial agents lead to resistance?
Improper use of antimicrobial agents significantly contributes to antimicrobial resistance. Overuse and misuse of these drugs create selective pressure, eradicating susceptible bacteria while allowing resistant strains to survive and multiply. Bacteria can develop resistance through spontaneous mutations or by acquiring resistance genes from other organisms via conjugation or transduction. This leads to biochemical modifications, such as the production of enzymes that inactivate the drug or alteration of drug receptors, reducing the drug's effectiveness. The spread of resistance genes can occur rapidly, especially in environments like hospitals, where antibiotic use is high. Ethical use of antimicrobials is needed to reduce resistance.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
antimicrobial agent, any of a large variety of chemical compounds and physical agents that are used to destroy microorganisms or to prevent their development.
The production and use of the antibiotic penicillin in the early 1940s became the basis for the era of modern antimicrobial therapy. Streptomycin was discovered in 1944, and since then many other antibiotics and other types of antimicrobials have been found and put into use. A major discovery following the introduction of these agents into medicine was the finding that their basic structure could be modified chemically to improve their characteristics. Thus, antimicrobial agents that are used in the treatment of disease include synthetic chemicals as well as chemical substances or metabolic products made by microorganisms and chemical substances derived from plants.
The term antibiotic is popularly used to refer to drugs that combat microbes, but, strictly speaking, it refers only to drugs that kill or inhibit bacteria.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
Antiseptics and germicides
The term antiseptic refers to agents applied to the living tissues of humans, other animals, and plants in order to destroy (bactericidal) or inhibit the growth (bacteriostatic) of infectious microorganisms. Antiseptics are used in medical practice to prevent or combat bacterial infections of superficial tissues and to sterilize instruments and infected material. A distinction must be made between antiseptics and chemotherapeutic agents, such as antibiotics and sulfonamides, which are administered by mouth or by injection for the treatment of internal or generalized infections but may also be applied locally in the treatment or prevention of superficial infections. (See antibiotic.)
Many chemical compounds can kill bacteria, but many of them also exhibit properties that limit or prohibit their use. Most antiseptics are general protoplasmic poisons and if used in sufficient concentration are harmful to the body’s cells and tissues as well as to bacteria. Thus, an antiseptic is most valuable in the disinfection of contaminated wounds or skin surfaces when there is a wide margin between its bactericidal and toxic concentrations. When an antiseptic is to be used to disinfect contaminated instruments or other inanimate objects, however, its toxic properties are not important, and many compounds (called disinfectants) may be used that cannot be applied to living tissues. The term disinfectant thus refers to substances that are used to destroy microorganisms on inanimate surfaces—e.g., surgical instruments, floors, and walls. Antiseptics, disinfectants, and antibiotics are all germicides; i.e., they are all substances that kill microorganisms.
The efficiency of an antiseptic must be measured in relation to three main factors: concentration, time, and temperature. It is desirable to know the minimum concentration at which an antiseptic will be effective. Some antiseptics such as phenol lose their activity sharply beyond a certain dilution, whereas mercurial preparations still inhibit bacterial growth at very high dilutions. The time that an antiseptic takes to act depends to some extent on its concentration, but the speed at which different antiseptics kill bacteria varies considerably; thus, the halogens (e.g., iodine and chlorine salts) act quickly, whereas mercurials, compounds of heavy metals, and dyes act slowly. Most antiseptics act more quickly under increased temperatures; the activity of coal tar derivatives, for instance, is doubled by a rise in temperature from that of a cool room to body heat. Many antiseptics destroy certain types of microorganisms and not others. Many others will kill bacteria but not their spores, which are walled, usually dormant, reproductive bodies.
Alcohols are among the most widely used antiseptics, especially ethyl and isopropyl alcohol, which are commonly used in a 70 percent concentration with water. They are also widely used in combination with other antiseptic agents. The phenols contain a large number of common antiseptics and disinfectants, among them phenol (carbolic acid) and creosote, while such bisphenols as hexyl resorcinol and hexachlorophene are widely used as antiseptic agents in soaps. Chlorine and iodine are both extremely effective agents and can be used in high dilution. Chlorine is widely used in the disinfection of drinking-water supplies, and among its derivatives, the hypochlorite solutions (e.g., Dakin’s solution) are used in surgical practice. Iodine is an effective disinfectant of wounds, particularly when used in an alcohol solution. The salts of most metals are generally too toxic to use on living tissues, but complex organic mercury salts (e.g., mercurochrome, merthiolate) in alcohol solution are highly bacteriostatic and make useful wound disinfectants. The quaternary ammonium compounds are more widely used as disinfectants than as antiseptics. Certain acridine dyes are used as antiseptics, as are some aromatic, or essential, oils. Most acids and alkalis either are too caustic to tissues or are relatively inefficient bactericides.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
Classification and survey of antiseptics and germicides
Antiseptics and germicides are classified and described in the table.
| agent | approximate concentration used (percent) | mode of action | uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| alcohols (e.g., ethyl alcohol) | 50–70 | denaturation of proteins; interference with metabolism; lysis (dissolving of organism) | as skin disinfectants; to form tinctures of antiseptics (used with acetone) |
| cationic, surface-active quaternary ammonium compounds | 0.1–0.25 | denaturation of proteins; inactivation of cellular metabolites; dissolving of cell wall | as skin disinfectants and antiseptics; in sanitizing eating and drinking utensils, food-processing equipment |
| bisphenols (2 phenols linked together) | 2–5 | inhibition of cell growth | as surgical scrubs (used with soaps and detergents); as deodorants |
| chlorine gas and chloride compounds with available chlorine | 0.0000002–0.000002 | liberation of cell constituents | in chlorination of water supplies; as food-plant sanitizer; in treating wounds and hospital equipment |
| iodine and iodized compounds | 2–16 | precipitation of cell proteins | in ointment and salves as skin antiseptics; in surgical-instrument disinfection |
| aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde) | 1–5 | general microorganism poison | in disinfection of dwellings, ships, storage houses, utensils, clothing; in hospital-instrument sterilization |
| mercurials (inorganic and organic) | 0.001–1 | precipitation of cell proteins; destruction of enzymes | as skin antiseptic in skin ointments and salves; as preservatives for drugs |
| oligodynamic metals (silver, copper, mercury) | traces | cell-membrane destruction; coagulation of cell materials | as disinfectants; in ointments and salves; in cement (e.g., in shower rooms) |
| heavy metals | 0.1–1 | precipitation of cell proteins | in cosmetics and deodorants; antiperspirants; skin antiseptics |
| acids | 0.1–5 | precipitation of cell proteins; destruction of cell wall | as skin antiseptics (salicylic and benzoic acids); in food preservatives (benzoic acid) |
| dyes (e.g., acridine) | 0.1–1 | inhibition of cell function; combination with essential metabolites | in dentistry as mucous antiseptics; in laboratory media to inhibit growth of unwanted bacteria |
| antibiotics and chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., penicillin, sulfonamides) | 0.001–1 | interference with cell metabolism; synergistic action in body to counteract infection | in chemotherapy of disease; in ointment and salves as skin antiseptics |
| coal-tar derivatives (e.g., phenol, cresols) | 0.1–5 | cytoplasmic poisons; disruption of cell wall; precipitation of proteins; inactivation of enzymes | as skin antiseptics in dilute solutions; as floor and wall disinfectants, combined with soaps; as surgical-instrument sterilizers |
| aromatic oils (especially pine oil) | 0.1–5 | effect on cell constituents; mechanical effect inhibits cell growth | as disinfectants with soaps for washing floors and walls; as a deodorant on inanimate surfaces |