Wall, bacterial

Resistance to antimicrobial agents is of concern as it is well known that bacterial resistance to antibiotics can develop. Many bacteria already derive some nonspecific resistance to biocides through morphological features such as thek cell wall. Bacterial populations present as part of a biofilm have achieved additional resistance owkig to the more complex and thicker nature of the biofilm. A system contaminated with a biofilm population can requke several orders of magnitude more chlorine to achieve control than unassociated bacteria of the same species. A second type of resistance is attributed to chemical deactivation of the biocide. This deactivation resistance to the strong oxidising biocides probably will not occur (27). 

Unprotected membrane of some cells, compare walls (bacterial) and rigid lipids (archaea)... 

See also Bacterial Cell Walls, Bacterial Cell Wall Biosynthesis, Figure 16.20... 

Although all the chiral ammo acids obtained from proteins have the l configura tion at their a carbon that should not be taken to mean that d ammo acids are unknown In fact quite a number of d ammo acids occur naturally d Alanine for example is a constituent of bacterial cell walls and d senne occurs m brain tissue The point is that D ammo acids are not constituents of proteins... 

Antibiotics have a wide diversity of chemical stmctures and range ia molecular weight from neat 100 to over 13,000. Most of the antibiotics fall iato broad stmcture families. Because of the wide diversity and complexity of chemical stmctures, a chemical classification scheme for all antibiotics has been difficult. The most comprehensive scheme may be found ia reference 12. Another method of classifyiag antibiotics is by mechanism of action (5). However, the modes of action of many antibiotics are stiU unknown and some have mixed modes of action. Usually within a stmcture family, the general mechanism of action is the same. For example, of the 3-lactams having antibacterial activity, all appear to inhibit bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. 

P-Lactams. AH 3-lactams are chemically characterized by having a 3-lactam ring. Substmcture groups are the penicillins, cephalosporias, carbapenems, monobactams, nocardicias, and clavulanic acid. Commercially this family is the most important group of antibiotics used to control bacterial infections. The 3-lactams act by inhibition of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. 

Endotoxin and Muramyl Dipeptide Derivatives. Bacterial cell wall constituents such as the Hpopolysaccharide endotoxin and muramyl dipeptide, which stimulate host defense systems, show radioprotective activity in animals (204). Although endotoxin is most effective when given - 24 h before irradiation, it provides some protection when adrninistered shortiy before and even after radiation exposure. Endotoxin s radioprotective activity is probably related to its Hpid component, and some of its properties may result from PG and leukotriene induction (204). 

The mechanism of antibacterial activity is through inhibition of gram-positive bacterial cell-wall synthesis thus, the penicillins are most effective against actively multiplying organisms. Because mammalian cells do not have a definitive cell-wall stmcture as do bacteria, the mammalian toxicity of the penicillins is low. Allergic phenomena in patients following sensitization may occur. 

P-lactam antibiotics, exert thek antibacterial effect by interfering with the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall. These antibiotics tend to be "kreversible" inhibitors of cell wall biosynthesis and they are usually bactericidal at concentrations close to thek bacteriostatic levels. Cephalospotins are widely used for treating bacterial infections. They are highly effective antibiotics and have low toxicity. 

The antibacterial effectiveness of penicillins cephalospotins and other P-lactam antibiotics depends upon selective acylation and consequentiy, iaactivation, of transpeptidases involved ia bacterial ceU wall synthesis. This acylating ability is a result of the reactivity of the P-lactam ring (1). Bacteria that are resistant to P-lactam antibiotics often produce enzymes called P-lactamases that inactivate the antibiotics by cataly2ing the hydrolytic opening of the P-lactam ring to give products (2) devoid of antibacterial activity. 

A book (1) and several general reviews (2—4) on P-lactamases have been pubUshed. Based on sequence data, it has been suggested that P-lactamases evolved from the enzymes involved in bacterial cell wall synthesis (5—7). 

Amphomycin inhibits bacterial ceU wall synthesis at the translocase step by binding to the large isoprenoid Hpid called undecaprenylphosphate (173,174). In eukaryotes, in a similar manner, amphomycin binds to the large isoprenoid Hpid called doHcholphosphate thus blocking the transfer of mannose from its uridinediphosphate derivative to this Hpid (173—177). Amphomycin has been patented for use as a feed additive (178). 

Peptidoplycans (14,16) are the primary component of bacterial cell walls. They consist of a heteropolysaccharide called murein cross-linked with short peptide chains. 

Considerable work has been done to try to explain why quats are antimicrobial. The following sequence of steps is beheved to occur in the attack by the quat on the microbial cell (/) adsorption of the compound on the bacterial cell surface (2) diffusion through the cell wall (J) binding to the cytoplasmic membrane (4) dismption of the cytoplasmic membrane (5) release of cations and other cytoplasmic cell constituents (6) precipitation of cell contents and death of the cell. 

Deoxyribonuclease (DNAase), an enzyme that degrades deoxyribonucleic acid, has been used in patients with chronic bronchitis, and found to produce favorable responses presumably by degrading the DNA, contributed by cell nuclei, to inflammatory mucus (213). Lysozyme [9001 -63-2] hydrolyzes the mucopeptides of bacterial cell walls. Accordingly, it has been used as an antibacterial agent, usually in combination with standard antibiotics. Topical apphcations are also useful in the debridement of serious bums, cellulitis, and dermal ulceration. 

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