NUR 4380 - Patho Pharm Final Review.

NUR 4380 - Patho Pharm Final Review/NUR 4380 - Patho Pharm Final Review. Basics of Antibiotics (13) 1. Define selective toxicity as it applies to the general mechanisms by which antibiotics work against invading pathogens but not against host cells. o Selective toxicity means that the drug interferes with necessary microbial biochemical processes. The pathogen is a prokaryote, while the host (us) is eukaryote, so their genetic makeup is different. Explain disruption of bacterial cell wall (Ex: Penicillin and cephalosporins) Prokaryotes (Bacteria) are encased in a rigid cell wall The protoplasm within this wall has a high concentration of solutes, making osmotic pressure within high Without this cell wall, bacteria would absorb water, swell, and then burst