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Definition: antibiotic 2 from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

(1943) : a substance produced by or a semisynthetic substance derived from a microorganism and able in dilute solution to inhibit or kill another microorganism


antibiotic

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
any of a variety of substances, usually obtained from microorganisms, that inhibit the growth of or destroy certain other microorganisms. The great number of diverse antibiotics currently available can be classified in different ways, e.g., by their chemical structure, their microbial origin, or their mode of action. They are also frequently designated by their effective range. Tetracyclines , the most widely used broad-spectrum antibiotics, are effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as against rickettsias and psittacosis-causing organisms (see Gram's stain ). Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) is another broad-spectrum antibiotic, effective in the treatment of mild infections of the urinary tract and sinuses. The medium-spectrum antibiotics bacitracin , the erythromycins , penicillin, and the cephalosporins are effective primarily against Gram-positive bacteria, although the streptomycin group is effective against some Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. …
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Full text Article antibiotic

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Substance that is capable of stopping the growth of, or destroying, bacteria and other microorganisms. Antibiotics are germicides that are safe enough to be eaten or injected into the body. The post-1945 introduction of antibiotics has revolutionized medical science, making possible the virtual…
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Full text Article antibiotic

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
any of a variety of substances, usually obtained from microorganisms, that inhibit the growth of or destroy certain other microorganisms. The great number of diverse antibiotics currently available can be classified in different ways, e.g., by their chemical structure, their microbial origin, or…
| 905 words
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Full text Article Antibiotics

From Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
Antibiotic compounds obtained from the mold...
Antibiotics are drugs that treat infections caused by bacteria. Some antibiotics may have secondary uses, such as the use of demeclocycline (Declomycin, a tetracycline derivative) to treat the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. Other antibiotics may be useful in…
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Full text Article Antibiotics

From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) microbiologist...
Antibiotics are drugs used to treat and prevent bacterial infections. The word comes from roots that mean “against” and “life”, a name they received because they attack living organisms. The term is also used more broadly to refer to antimicrobial drugs, which target different types of microbial…
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Full text Article Antibiotics

From Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are drugs that treat infections caused by bacteria. Some antibiotics may have secondary uses, such as the use of demeclocycline (Declomycin, a tetracycline derivative) to treat the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. Other antibiotics may be useful in…
| 2,139 words , 2 images

Full text Article Antibiotics

From Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy Through Adolescence
Antibiotics are drugs that treat infections caused by bacteria. Some antibiotics may have secondary uses, such as the use of demeclocycline (Declomycin, a tetracycline derivative) to treat the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. Other antibiotics may be useful in…
| 2,256 words
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Full text Article Antibiotics

From The Gale Encyclopedia of Senior Health
Antibiotics
(© 2015 Cengage Learning)
Antibiotics are drugs derived from molds or bacteria that inhibit the growth of other microorganisms. Even modern antibiotics that are chemically modified can be traced back to a substance originally found in a microorganism. A large number of antibiotics are available. They are classified by their…
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Full text Article antibiotics

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Men's Health
Also known as: antibiotic drugs; antibiotic medications Medications that fight bacterial infections. Different kinds of antibiotics target the various bacteria that can cause infection. Most antibiotics are available in oral forms (to take by mouth). Some come in preparations for topical use, and…
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Full text Article Antibiotic

From Black's Veterinary Dictionary
A chemical compound derived from living organisms or synthesised from biological material capable, in small concentration, of inhibiting the life process of micro-organisms. To be useful in medicine, an antibiotic must (1) have powerful action in the body against 1 or more types of bacteria; (2) …
| 591 words
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Full text Article antibiotic

From Dictionary of Microbiology & Molecular Biology
(1) Originally, the term used for any microbial product which, in low concentrations, inhibits or kills susceptible microorganisms; with this meaning, the term could distinguish between an agent such as penicillin (produced by a fungus) and synthetic (i.e. man-made) antimicrobials such as…
| 2,868 words
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