An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.

Purified penicillin displayed potent antibacterial activity against a wide range of bacteria and had low toxicity in humans.

" Narrow-spectrum " antibacterial antibiotics target specific types of bacteria, such as Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria, whereas broad-spectrum antibiotics affect a wide range of bacteria.

The emergence of resistance of bacteria to antibacterial drugs is a common phenomenon.

Antibacterial resistance may impose a biological cost, thereby reducing fitness of resistant strains, which can limit the spread of antibacterial-resistant bacteria, for example, in the absence of antibacterial compounds.

Inappropriate antibacterial treatment and overuse of antibiotics have contributed to the emergence of antibacterial-resistant bacteria.

For example, some resistance-modifying agents may inhibit multidrug resistance mechanisms, such as drug efflux from the cell, thus increasing the susceptibility of bacteria to an antibacterial.

An antibacterial product is a product that acts against bacteria in some unspecified way.

Some products labelled " antibacterial " kill bacteria while others may contain a concentration of active ingredient that only prevent them multiplying.

Hyperforin has also displayed antibacterial properties against gram-positive bacteria, although dosage, safety and efficacy has not been studied.

Because of their pH level and the presence of antibacterial agents, such cultures are stable and able to prevent colonization by unwanted yeasts and bacteria.

" The overuse of antibacterial cleaning products in the home may be producing strains of multi-antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic regimens usually consist of a broad spectrum antibiotic such as piperacillin-tazobactam ( Zosyn ), ampicillin-sulbactam ( Unasyn ), ticarcillin-clavulanate ( Timentin ), or a cephalosporin ( e. g. ceftriaxone ) and an antibacterial with good coverage ( fluoroquinolone such as ciprofloxacin ) and anaerobic bacteria coverage, such as metronidazole.

Recent research from Dr. Levy's lab ( Aiello, et al., 2005 ) concludes that " The results from our study do not implicate the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products as an influential factor in carriage of antimicrobial drug-resistant bacteria on the hands of household members.

A comprehensive analysis from the University of Michigan School of Public Health indicated that plain soaps are just as effective as consumer-grade antibacterial soaps with triclosan in preventing illness and removing bacteria from the hands.

This aids in provision of saliva, which washes away oral bacteria, has antibacterial properties and promotes mechanical activity which helps cleanse the mouth.

While studies conducted up until the 1960s found little evidence supporting antibacterial activity for cerumen, more recent studies have found that cerumen has a bactericidal effect on some strains of bacteria.

Vernix is also thought to have an antibacterial effect ; though there is little evidence to support a chemical role of vernix in protecting the infant from infection, it may form a physical barrier to the passage of bacteria.

* Deliver continuous and ongoing antibacterial action, remaining effective in killing greater than 99. 9 % of bacteria within two hours ;

Recently, similar folds in the membrane have been observed in bacteria that have been exposed to some classes of antibiotics, and antibacterial peptides ( defensins ).

P. acnes bacteria are also susceptible to many types of antimicrobial chemicals found in " over-the-counter " antibacterial products, including benzoyl peroxide, triclosan, PCMX, and chlorhexidine gluconate.

If boils / carbuncles recur frequently, daily use of an antibacterial soap or cleanser containing triclosan, triclocarban or chlorhexidine, can suppress staph bacteria on the skin.

# Alteration of metabolic pathway: e. g., some sulfonamide-resistant bacteria do not require para-aminobenzoic acid ( PABA ), an important precursor for the synthesis of folic acid and nucleic acids in bacteria inhibited by sulfonamides.

Several other families of antibiotics are also active against P. acnes bacteria, including quinolones, cephalosporins, pleuromutilins, penicillins and sulfonamides.

Two metabolites ( 1, and 2 ) ) of p-aminobenzoic acid ( PABA ) which act as cofactors for the hydroxylation of aniline by acid-fast bacteria are biosynthesized from Aj.

They are also abundant components of the peptidoglycan cell walls of bacteria, and-serine may act as a neurotransmitter in the brain.

He then proposed the idea that it might be possible to create chemicals that would act as a selective drug that would bind to and kill bacteria without harming the human host.

Biological warfare ( also known as germ warfare ) is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war.

The EM are natural lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and phototrophic bacteria that act as a microbe community within the kitchen scraps, fermenting and accelerating breakdown of the organic matter.

In this way, the antibiotics act as a filter to select only the modified bacteria.

Riboswitches have been found to act as regulators of gene expression, particularly in bacteria, but also in plants and archaea.

In general, the larger the eyes in a Swiss cheese, the more pronounced its flavor because a longer fermentation period gives the bacteria more time to act.

* Ultrasound has been shown to act synergistically with antibiotics in killing bacteria.

Micro-organisms, including fungi and bacteria, effect chemical exchanges between roots and soil and act as a reserve of nutrients.

However, the walls are naturally porous and only act as stiff shells that protect bacteria from severe environmental impacts.

Vinegar is produced when acetic acid bacteria act on alcoholic beverages such as wine.

Lophotrichous bacteria have multiple flagella located at the same spot on the bacteria's surfaces which act in concert to drive the bacteria in a single direction.

Later, scientists discovered specific genes in animals, including a subgroup of the genes which contain the homeobox DNA motif, called Hox genes, that act as switches for other genes, and could be induced by other gene products, morphogens, that act analogously to the external stimuli in bacteria.

Antibacterials are antiseptics that have the proven ability to act against bacteria.

The chemicals used in embalming repel most insects, and slow down bacterial putrefaction by either killing existing bacteria in or on the body themselves or by " fixing " cellular proteins, which means that they cannot act as a nutrient source for subsequent bacterial infections.

Normal flora bacteria can act as opportunistic pathogens at times of lowered immunity.

The suspended solids interfere with water disinfection with chlorine because the particles act as shields for the virus and bacteria.

To counteract these viruses, some bacteria have evolved restriction systems which only recognize and cleave modified DNA, but do not act upon the host's unmodified DNA.

Lipopolysaccharides ( LPS ), also known as lipoglycans, are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide joined by a covalent bond ; they are found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, act as endotoxins and elicit strong immune responses in animals.

Enamel is a highly mineralized acellular tissue, and caries act upon it through a chemical process brought on by the acidic environment produced by bacteria.

The World Health Organization says care should be taken in the preparation and storage of salsa, since many raw-served varieties can act as growth media for potentially dangerous bacteria, especially when unrefrigerated.