13

CHAPTER

203

Antimicrobials—

Fighting

Infection

Pharmacology conjures images of the magic pill a prescriber gives you to relieve

your runny nose, headache, fever, and other symptoms that make it unbearable

to go about daily activities. Sometimes those symptoms are from your body

adjusting to irritants like pollen. Other times, symptoms are caused by malfunc-

tioning parts of your body such as the pancreas in the case of diabetes.

There is a third cause of symptoms—invading microbials. You’ll remember

from your courses on anatomy and physiology and microbiology that a micro-

bial is a tiny organism—such as bacteria and viruses—that can enter the body

and make you sick.

The immune system produces antibodies that seek out, attack, and kill micro-

bials. However, this natural defense isn’t sufficient for some patients who need

to call in the cavalry. The cavalry is medication that kills the invading microbial.

You’ll learn about antimicrobial medication in this chapter.

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