The group of soil bacteria known for their ability to produce a wide variety of antimicrobials is called the actinomycetes.
Missing Word
actinomycetes
Actinomycetes, particularly Streptomyces species, are prolific producers of diverse antimicrobial compounds. These compounds have been crucial in the development of many antibiotics used in medicine.
Question 2
The bacterium known for causing pseudomembranous colitis, a potentially deadly superinfection, is Clostridioides difficile.
Missing Words
Clostridioides, difficile
Clostridioides difficile produces toxins that damage the intestinal lining, leading to pseudomembrane formation and severe diarrhea. This bacterium often proliferates after antibiotic treatment disrupts the normal gut microbiota, allowing it to overgrow.
Question 3
Selective toxicity antimicrobials are easier to develop against bacteria because they are prokaryotic cells, whereas human cells are eukaryotic.
Missing Word
prokaryotic
Prokaryotic cells, like bacteria, possess unique structures and processes (e.g., peptidoglycan synthesis, different ribosomes) not found in eukaryotic human cells. These differences provide specific targets for antimicrobials, allowing for selective toxicity.
Question 4
Antiviral drugs, like Tamiflu and Relenza, that are effective against the influenza virus by preventing viral escape from host cells are called neuraminidase inhibitors.
Missing Words
neuraminidase, inhibitors
Neuraminidase is a viral enzyme that cleaves sialic acid, enabling newly formed influenza virions to bud from the host cell surface and spread infection. Inhibiting this enzyme prevents viral release and reduces the severity and duration of influenza.
Question 5
Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA strains, may commonly be carried as a normal member of the nasal microbiota in some people.
Missing Word
nasal
The anterior nares (nostrils) are a common site for Staphylococcus aureus colonization due to the presence of nutrients and a suitable environment. This nasal carriage can serve as a reservoir for subsequent infections, including those caused by antibiotic-resistant strains like MRSA.
Question 6
The method that can determine the MICs of multiple antimicrobial drugs against a microbial strain using a single agar plate is called the Etest.
Missing Word
Etest
The Etest utilizes a plastic strip containing a gradient of antibiotic concentrations placed on an agar plate inoculated with the test organism. The MIC is determined by observing where the zone of inhibition intersects the strip's concentration scale.