Anti-bacterial chemicals

[TheUnknown]

Why do some compounds kill/slow down germs and bacteria?

How/why do they?

[ecoli]

you could take an entire class on that subject...

 

It depends a lot on what chemical and what pathogen. Did you mean in terms of antibiotics, medicine, vaccines, antibacterial agents like what they have in soap?

[TheUnknown]

Yes, Things in anti-bacterial soap, vaccines and such.

[SkepticLance]

The number of mechanisms available are legion.

 

For example : chlorine with water forms hypochlorous acid, which is an oxidiser. That means it reacts with anything organic, breaking it down. That rather effectively kills bacteria in water. It is the equivalent of dropping them into strong digestive juices.

 

Quaternary ammonium compounds are surfactants, and have a strong surface electrical charge. They attach to bacterial cell walls, which are oppositely electrically charged, and either block transport of vital substances across the membrane (at low dose) or tear it aart - at high dose.

 

Certain antibiotics get inside the bacterial cell and disrupt DNA synthesis. Other compounds interfere with vital enzymes, stopping essential metabolic processes.

 

Etc.

[fattyjwoods]

off wiki

 

Soaps are useful for cleaning because soap molecules attach readily to both nonpolar molecules (such as grease or oil) and polar molecules (such as water). Although grease will normally adhere to skin or clothing, the soap molecules can attach to it as a "handle" and make it easier to rinse away. Applied to a soiled surface, soapy water effectively holds particles in suspension so the whole of it can be rinsed off with clean water.

 

(fatty end) :CH3-(CH2)n - COONa: (water soluble end)

The hydrocarbon ("fatty") portion dissolves dirt and oils, while the ionic end makes it soluble in water. Therefore, it allows water to remove normally-insoluble matter by emulsification.

[Darkblade48]

I agree with ecoli, there is a lot of information on anti-bacterial compounds.

 

In terms of anti-bacterial soaps, most contain triclosan, which is supposed to inhibit bacterial fatty acid synthesis (it appears to be bacteriostatic).

 

Vaccines are not anti-bacterial, per se, rather, they prime the body's immune system to recognize a certain epitope, and upon second exposure to the antigen, an immune response can be mounted much faster, and much stronger.

 

Other anti-bacterial agents such as drugs can be bacteriocidal. I believe rifampin was bacteriocidal (it could be bacteriostatic, but I'd have to check on that), through inhibiting RNA polymerase. Other drugs like cephalosporin are bacteriocidal by disrupting the synthesis of the peptidoglycan wall in bacteria (I believe the mechanism was that it prevented transpeptidase from adding on new subunits to the existing PG wall)

[fattyjwoods]

Vaccines are not anti-bacterial, per se, rather, they prime the body's immune system to recognize a certain epitope, and upon second exposure to the antigen, an immune response can be mounted much faster, and much

 

Just backing up Darkblades post, vaccines are not anti-bacterial but instead they help strengthen the immune system. A vaccine can contain killed micro-organisms that have been killed by chemicals or heat. Live micro-organisms are alive but have had their virulent properties have been – disabled. Toxoids - these are inactivated toxic compounds from micro-organisms. and Subunit is just when a fragment of the virus is sent in to stimulate the immune system.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccines

[TheUnknown]

Thanks for the help... So complex...

[ecoli]

Vaccines are not anti-bacterial, per se, rather, they prime the body's immune system to recognize a certain epitope, and upon second exposure to the antigen, an immune response can be mounted much faster, and much stronger.

By vaccines, I meant ways we can manipulate our own immune system to take care of bacterial pathogens... The details of which would include specific and non-specific immuno-responses.