Treatment of Tuberculosis (TB)

Antibiotics can be used to treat bacterial disease by interfering with bacterial metabolism; important mechanisms of antibiotic treatment are:

• prevention of cell wall synthesis and;
• protein production.

Useful link: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tuberculosis/Understanding/WhatIsTB/ScientificIllustrations/firstLineIllustration.htm

Follow the "NEXT" link at this website for images and details of drugs that act by preventing cell wall synthesis and the numerous drugs that prevent protein production by attacking DNA transcription and/or the ribosomes.  You will need to look up Protein synthesis and its sequences to have an understanding of why these antibiotics work!  HINT: Protein synthesis > enzymes > structural proteins.

You will not need to read all the information but the important parts are to have an understanding of how these drugs work and, get familiar with reading the name of different antibiotics