Anti-Bacterial Agents

Anti-bacterial agents are divided into disinfectants and antibiotics. Disinfectants are mainly used for cleaning and disinfection, and antibiotics are used as drugs for animal and human consumption. Antibiotics can either stop bacterial growth or kill bacteria, being bacteriostatic or bactericidal. Anti-bacterial agents are highly specific and disrupt essential processes for dividing bacterial populations, including cell wall synthesis and their membranes, protein synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis, and metabolic processes. In this article, the main available antibiotics are grouped according to their mechanisms of action, and their antibacterial spectrum, the infections in which they are used, and known resistant mechanisms against them are discussed. In addition, the last section discusses the development and characteristics of the most promising novel anti-bacterial agents.