Abstract
An antibiotic inhibits growth of a microbial population. Population growth results from reproduction of individual cells, that is, from duplication of cellular material and subsequent division of the cell into two daughter cells. For an antibiotic to affect a microbial cell, it must (1) enter the cell, (2) bind physically to a cellular structure involved in some process essential for maintenance of the life or the growth of the cell, and (3) completely inhibit the process in which that structure is involved.
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© 1982 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
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Lancini, G., Parenti, F. (1982). Mechanism of Action of the Antibiotics. In: Antibiotics. Springer Series in Microbiology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5674-8_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5674-8_3
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-5676-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-5674-8
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