Have you ever wondered how an antibiotic works? Let's try to understand it in this video and then let's start by saying that antibiotics are substances that can destroy bacteria, or stop their growth. Few people know that in the history of the discovery of antibiotics there is an Italian precursor: Vincenzo Tiberio. What attracted the attention of this doctor was a well with mold growing on its edges: when the well had mold, the people who drank that water were less exposed to gastroenteritis and diarrhea, while when it was cleaned, gastrointestinal disorders suddenly increased throughout the population. The Italian actually understood how antibiotics worked, but it was fifty years later, in 1945, that the Nobel Prize was awarded to Fleming thanks to the discovery of an antibiotic that changed our history forever: it was penicillin. Penicillin is a bactericidal antibiotic that does not allow bacteria to create a cell wall. Not all drugs work the same way as penicillin: bacteriostatic drugs work by blocking the growth of bacteria that, due to the antibiotic, can no longer replicate and will then be progressively eliminated by the immune system. Many times the bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity of an antibiotic depends on the dosage it is taken. The broadest category of antibiotics is the one that includes cell wall synthesis inhibitors and among them we find beta-lactam drugs such as penicillin. These drugs prevent the bacteria from forming an intact and functioning cell wall. Other antibiotics inhibit the synthesis of peptidoglycan in the cytoplasm and among them we find cycloserine and fosfomycin: peptidoglycan is an essential element of the bacterial wall. Other antibiotics act on protein synthesis. There are many of these drugs and among them we find aminoglycosides that do not allow bacteria to generate functioning proteins. Other antibiotics directly block the replication of bacterial DNA: without being able to generate new DNA, the bacterium will not be able to replicate. Among these drugs we find Quinolones, Fluoroquinolones and Rifampicin which, in a mechanical way, block those enzymes that should allow DNA to replicate. If you liked this video, leave a LIKE and subscribe to the channel so you don't miss the next content ???? OTHER RECOMMENDED VIDEOS: • The bacterial cell wall: the “if... • 7 HALLUCINOGENIC MUSHROOMS you can find in ... • Learning to learn: here is the science ... • What did people eat in the Middle Ages? You can follow me on the social channels below to get to know me better and stay updated on new content: / doc.franzonimarco / franzoni.marco98 Where you can find me: https://linktr.ee/MarcoFranzoni ???? ???? Sources: Principles of medical microbiology by G. Antonelli, CEA, 2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotic https://www.focus.it/cultura/storia/t... Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to antibiotics and their discovery 01:15 The properties of antibiotics 04:19 Antibiotics have different mechanisms of action How do antibiotics work? Marco Franzoni