328
Keywords
Antimicrobials • Drug-resistant bacteria • iChip • Imaging mass spectrometry •
Metagenomics
13.1 Introduction
13.1.1 Pathogens and Antimicrobials
Microorganisms are the most abundant forms of life and components of every ecosystem on the earth. “Microorganisms” is a general term used to represent a vast
variety of minuscule organisms consisting of bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, molds, etc.
They range in complexity from single to multicellular organisms. Magnification
techniques are invariably required to observe and study them. Despite the fact that
viruses cannot live and reproduce on their own, they are also classified under this
group. From an anthropocentric perspective, microorganisms are classified as beneficial and harmful. Though the beneficial species evidentially outnumber the harmful ones, man has a tendency to relate the term “microorganisms” only to pathogenic
(disease-causing) species. This may be due to the lingering dreadful memories of
deadly epidemics he witnessed that wreaked havoc to humanity like the Black Death
(bubonic plague), tuberculosis, influenza, smallpox, cholera, malaria, etc. During
early days he was left clueless about the causes, and measures for prevention and
control of those diseases. Man, being an ever-exploring species, with his innate
quest for knowledge and the advent of technologies, was able to identify the causes
of these diseases and discover methods to treat them.
Antimicrobial substance is any chemical compound or physical agent that kills
or inhibits growth of microorganisms even at very low concentrations but causes
little or no damage to the host. This is a general term used to represent all agents that
act against various types of microorganisms – bacteria (antibacterial), viruses (antiviral), fungi (antifungal), and protozoa (antiprotozoal). These substances are of
natural, synthetic, or semisynthetic origin. The term “antimicrobial” was derived
from the Greek word anti (against), mikros (little), and bios (life). This term is
largely used interchangeably with “antibiotic.” By strict definition, the word antibiotics refers to substances produced by microorganisms that act against another
microorganism. This term is derived from the Greek words anti (against) and biotikos (concerning life) (Michael et al. 2014).
13.2 Brief History of Antimicrobials
Contrary to popular belief that the use of antimicrobials began in the mid-twentieth
century, research revealed the use of antibiotics by ancient populations. Traces of
tetracycline were found in the ancient Sudanese human skeletal remains that date
back to fourth to sixth century AD (Bassett et al. 1980, Nelson et al. 2010).
Interestingly, it is inferred that the rate of infectious diseases documented in this
Lini Nirmala and D.P. Zyju
Keywords
Antimicrobials • Drug-resistant bacteria • iChip • Imaging mass spectrometry •
Metagenomics
13.1 Introduction
13.1.1 Pathogens and Antimicrobials
Microorganisms are the most abundant forms of life and components of every ecosystem on the earth. “Microorganisms” is a general term used to represent a vast
variety of minuscule organisms consisting of bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, molds, etc.
They range in complexity from single to multicellular organisms. Magnification
techniques are invariably required to observe and study them. Despite the fact that
viruses cannot live and reproduce on their own, they are also classified under this
group. From an anthropocentric perspective, microorganisms are classified as beneficial and harmful. Though the beneficial species evidentially outnumber the harmful ones, man has a tendency to relate the term “microorganisms” only to pathogenic
(disease-causing) species. This may be due to the lingering dreadful memories of
deadly epidemics he witnessed that wreaked havoc to humanity like the Black Death
(bubonic plague), tuberculosis, influenza, smallpox, cholera, malaria, etc. During
early days he was left clueless about the causes, and measures for prevention and
control of those diseases. Man, being an ever-exploring species, with his innate
quest for knowledge and the advent of technologies, was able to identify the causes
of these diseases and discover methods to treat them.
Antimicrobial substance is any chemical compound or physical agent that kills
or inhibits growth of microorganisms even at very low concentrations but causes
little or no damage to the host. This is a general term used to represent all agents that
act against various types of microorganisms – bacteria (antibacterial), viruses (antiviral), fungi (antifungal), and protozoa (antiprotozoal). These substances are of
natural, synthetic, or semisynthetic origin. The term “antimicrobial” was derived
from the Greek word anti (against), mikros (little), and bios (life). This term is
largely used interchangeably with “antibiotic.” By strict definition, the word antibiotics refers to substances produced by microorganisms that act against another
microorganism. This term is derived from the Greek words anti (against) and biotikos (concerning life) (Michael et al. 2014).
13.2 Brief History of Antimicrobials
Contrary to popular belief that the use of antimicrobials began in the mid-twentieth
century, research revealed the use of antibiotics by ancient populations. Traces of
tetracycline were found in the ancient Sudanese human skeletal remains that date
back to fourth to sixth century AD (Bassett et al. 1980, Nelson et al. 2010).
Interestingly, it is inferred that the rate of infectious diseases documented in this
Lini Nirmala and D.P. Zyju