Antimicrobials in Healthcare: A Revolution in Patient Treatment - Essay Sample

Introduction

In every clinical setting around the world, patient treatment has gone a long evolutionary path from the days when treatment options would only be amputation or death. Today, research and technology have revolutionized health care to the extent of seeking the diagnosis of the cause of the disease and provide care in line with recommended medication. Antimicrobial agents play an instrumental part in the treatment and healing processes as they can prevent, control, and even kill the growth of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa that cause diseases (W.H.O, 2015). Different antimicrobials are meant to serve different purposes, based on their causes and the type of microorganisms that are in play. In that context, this paper seeks to highlight various principles that guide the antimicrobial therapy, multiple categories of the agents, and how they respond to different bacterial and fungal infections in humans.

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Principles of Antimicrobial Therapy

After this week's review of the media representation on the principles of antimicrobial therapy as well as chapter 8 of the Arcangelo and Peterson text, it is clear that the treatment needs to be administered following some specific guidelines. The general principles of prescription of antimicrobial therapy it to put them in different categories depending on the spectrum and class of the microorganisms that they kill. That is to say, this principle deals with the classification of antimicrobial agents based on the type of action (Wang et al., 2015). Before medical professionals administer any antimicrobial treatment, it is incumbent to get the correct diagnosis and prescribe medication aligned with the targeted microorganisms.

It is also imperative to look at the classification based on the source of antibacterial agents to enable grouping of antibacterial agents based on their target specification. Finally, it is essential to categorize the antimicrobials based on their chemical structure to know the similar structural units that possess identical patterns of effectiveness, toxicity, and other fundamental properties.

Categories of Antimicrobial Agents

There are so two main categories of the antimicrobial agents known as inhibitors. Different inhibitors are meant for various activities in the process of fighting the bacterial microorganisms. The two types are Bacteriostatic antibacterials and Bactericidal antibacterials.

Bacteriostatic Antibacterials

Generally, bacteriostatic antibacterials are meant to inhibit, slow down, or control the growth and synthesis of bacterial microorganisms within the cells (Sawyer et al., 2015). For example, Sulphonamides are bacteriostatic antibacterials intended for the inhibition of folate synthesis at the very early stage. That will ensure that the microorganisms do not have time to grow and cause health concerns. Amphenicols such as Chloramphenicol is very useful in the inhibition of protein sysnthesis. Another category of antibacterial agents that binds to the 30s ribosomal subunit and interrupts protein synthesis is Spectinomycin. In general, the bacteriostatic antibacterials are meant to slow down or inhibit the activities of the bacterial microorganisms.

Bactericidal Antibacterials

These are antimicrobial agents that work to destroy or kill the bacteria through targeting the cell membrane or wall. Therefore, the main difference between the bacteriostatic and bactericides antibacterials is that the former deals in slowing down or inhibiting the effects of bacteria, while the latter is responsible for killing or destroying the bacteria cells. For example, Penicillins such as Pen V, Pen G, and oxacillin, among others work to destroy any bacterial microorganisms' cells or walls (Li et al., 2015).

Differences Between Viral and Bacterial Infections

Both bacteria and Viruses are microorganisms that cause infections in different environments. However, it is imperative to note that the two organisms have some differences in regards to the diseases they cause. Bacteria are tiny single-celled microorganisms that are quite diverse in regards to shape and other structural features. Bacterial germs can survive in the human body and almost all the environments. However, it is significant to know that only pathogenic bacteria can cause infections in the human body. On the other hand, viruses are smaller than bacteria with different shapes and features as well.

However, in regards to the infections they cause, viruses are parasitic and can only grow within a living cell or tissue (Fane et al., 2015). Therefore, viruses can grow and multiply through killing the host cell or tissue. On the other hand, bacterial infections spread through from one person to another since bacteria are contagious. Bacterial infections can as well spread through infected insects' bite such as mosquitoes. Humans can also acquire bacterial infections through eating contaminated food or drinking such water.

Why It Is Essential to Identify an Infection to Select an Appropriate Antimicrobial Agent

It is a critical process in the treatment plan to identify the type of infection so that professionals can administer the right antimicrobial agents. During a treatment process, antibacterial agents are only suitable to treat bacterial infections but do not affect the viral infections. Therefore, identifying the type of infection will help in administering the right treatment. Apart from antibacterials, we also have antiviruses and antifungal therapies. Therefore, to avoid messing up the treatment of diseases using wrong antimicrobials, it is incumbent upon medical providers to conduct proper tests to identify the type of infection. Giving illegal drugs may result in poisoning and even death (Fifer et al., 2015).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the discovery and introduction of the antimicrobials have revolutionized treatment within health care. Technology has enabled research-based treatment that can today ensure that patients get treatment in line with their infections. Medically, it is imperative for professionals to identify the different types of diseases such as bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasital, to be able to administer a treatment that targets the specific infection. Therefore, I would recommend that there should be more continuous research to discover more effective methods of classifying the diseases for appropriate treatment.

References

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