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An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent to fight against bacterial infections and antibiotic drugs are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections. They can either kill bacteria or cause them to grow. A limited number of antibiotics also possess antiprotozoal activity. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the common cold or influenza; Medicines that inhibit the growth of viruses are called antiviral drugs or antivirals instead of antibiotics. They are also not effective against fungi; Drugs that inhibit the growth of fungi are called antifungal drugs.
Sometimes, the word antibiotic—literally “anti-life”, from the Greek roots ἀντι anti, “against” and βίος bios, “life”—is used broadly to refer to any substance used against microbes, but antibiotics are used in general medicine. (such as penicillin) are naturally produced (one microorganism fighting another), whereas non-antibiotic antibacterials (such as sulfonamides and antiseptics) are completely synthetic. However, both classes have the same goal of killing or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, and both are included in antimicrobial chemotherapy. “Antibacterial” includes antiseptic drugs, antibacterial soaps, and chemical disinfectants, while antibiotics are an important class of antibacterials used primarily in medicine and sometimes in animal feed.
Antibiotics have been used since ancient times. Many civilizations used topical application of moldy bread, with many references to its beneficial effects originating from ancient Egypt, Nubia, China, Serbia, Greece and Rome. The first person to directly document the use of mold to treat infections was John Parkinson (1567–1650). Antibiotics revolutionized medicine in the 20th century. Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) invented the modern penicillin in 1928, whose widespread use proved remarkably beneficial during the war. However, the effectiveness and availability of antibiotics have also led to their overuse and some bacteria have developed resistance to them. The World Health Organization classifies antimicrobial resistance as widespread “no longer a serious threat for the future, it is happening now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone of any age, in any country”. Global deaths due to antimicrobial resistance were 1.27 million in 2019.
