MadSci Network: Microbiology
Query:

Re: Does temperature affect the way an antibiotic will act on bacteria?

Area: Microbiology
Posted By: Michael Benedik, Faculty Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston
Date: Wed Nov 12 23:10:01 1997
Area of science: Microbiology
ID: 876076930.Mi
Message:

Does temperature affect the way an antibiotic will act on bacteria?

It can affect whether an antibiotic will be effective. The mechanism by which antibiotics act is generally not going to be affected much by temperature (assuming reasonable temperatures). However if temperatures drop for example such that the bacterial growth rate becomes very slow, then some bacteria may escape the antibiotic.

Why would this be true? Well, most antibiotics work by inhibiting some essential process. They don't directly kill a bug, but just inhibit it from being able to make the goodies it needs or prevents it from replicating. However this inhibition is usually not quite 100%.

If the bacteria is growing very very slowly, then it only needs to make those goodies at a very slow rate. Hence they could survive at that slow rate of growth.

This isn't always true, but it can be true for certain antibiotics and certain bacteria in controlled environments such as the lab.

It is unlikely to be true for the medical use of antibiotics. Our bodies maintain a constant internal temperature, so regardless of the outside temperature, the bacteria in our body are always growing at the same temperature. Hence temperature will not have any significant effect on medical use of antibiotics.


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