|
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System
(NARMS) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Antibiotic
Resistance - What is an antibiotic? |
|
|
NARMS Home
> FAQ
Antibiotic Resistance
> What
is an antibiotic?
|
|
An antibiotic is a medicine that kills or inhibits
the growth of microbes, such as bacteria and fungi.
The term "antibiotic" originally referred
to a natural compound produced by a fungus or another
microorganism that kills bacteria which cause disease
in humans or animals. Alexander Fleming discovered the
first antibiotic, penicillin, in 1927. Some antibiotics
may be synthetic compounds (not produced by microorganisms)
that can also kill or inhibit the growth of microbes.
Technically, the term "antimicrobial agent"
refers to both natural and synthetic compounds; however,
many people use the word "antibiotic" to refer
to both. Although antibiotics have many beneficial effects,
their use has created the new problem of antibiotic
resistance. |
|
|
|
Date:
June 1, 2005
Content source: National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases (ZVED)
|
|
|
|