Harinder Mootoor
ECH-4931.001
Nanomedicine
Dr. Koria
Term Paper 1
Streptomycin for Tuberculosis
Diseases are very detrimental to the health and lives of humans. Many diseases are caused by the spread of harmful bacteria. One specific disease that has a large effect on the population is tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis is caused by the spread of a bacterium and if the bacterium is not treated properly, TB can be fatal. With the use of antibiotics, such as streptomycin, the fundamental process of DNA replication, transcription, and translation can be altered to the advantage of curing TB.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that is spread via the air. According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis is estimated to kill 1.5 million people every year. Tuberculosis can infect many areas of the body including bones and central nervous system; however, it most commonly infects the lungs. Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium, mycobacterium tuberculosis, which spreads throughout the infected region and causes damage to a person’s overall health. Similar to most bacteria, it spreads by the fundamental process of replication, transcription, and translation. First, in the replication phase, double stranded DNA is split into two strands, and complimentary strands are formed and added to create a replication of the original DNA strand. In the transcription phase, a polymerase is added to the DNA strand to create a RNA strand from the existing DNA. In translation, the final phase, the RNA is made into a protein by having multiple amino acids bind together according to the specified codons in the RNA strand. With the bacteria multiplying it becomes harmful to the individual infected because as the bacteria spreads throughout the body, it gives the individual symptoms such as coughing with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. It is important to cure because TB is a fatal disease when not treated properly. It is responsible for a high percentage of the world’s deaths, and though its death toll is decreasing annually, it is still a dangerous disease with a heavy global impact. Antibiotics are a known cure for TB. Streptomycin is a common example of an antibiotic that aids in the cure of TB. Streptomycin acts as a protein synthesis inhibitor. It works by causing the translation process to make more mistakes than usual. Usually, in the DNA replication, transcription, and translation process, there is less than one error for every billion, or more, base pairs copied (McCulloch). With the use of streptomycin, as high as …show more content…
In the disease, tuberculosis, the mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes the harmful effects in tuberculosis. The bacterium spreads throughout the body through methods similar to protein synthesis. However, certain antibiotics such as, streptomycin, help prevent and cure cases of TB. The antibiotics work through altering or interfering in the processes of replication, transcription, and translation. Streptomycin is a specific anti-biotic that helps inhibit the protein synthesis of the bacterium, essentially declining the rate of growth and killing off the rest of the bacterium. I believe this is a wonderful advancement in technology and a clever piece of innovation. Using the basic principles of DNA replication, transcription, and translation, harmful bacteria can spread quickly. Yet, using the same principles of DNA replication, transcription and translation, prevention methods and cures can be found by manipulating these processes to our
ECH-4931.001
Nanomedicine
Dr. Koria
Term Paper 1
Streptomycin for Tuberculosis
Diseases are very detrimental to the health and lives of humans. Many diseases are caused by the spread of harmful bacteria. One specific disease that has a large effect on the population is tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis is caused by the spread of a bacterium and if the bacterium is not treated properly, TB can be fatal. With the use of antibiotics, such as streptomycin, the fundamental process of DNA replication, transcription, and translation can be altered to the advantage of curing TB.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that is spread via the air. According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis is estimated to kill 1.5 million people every year. Tuberculosis can infect many areas of the body including bones and central nervous system; however, it most commonly infects the lungs. Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium, mycobacterium tuberculosis, which spreads throughout the infected region and causes damage to a person’s overall health. Similar to most bacteria, it spreads by the fundamental process of replication, transcription, and translation. First, in the replication phase, double stranded DNA is split into two strands, and complimentary strands are formed and added to create a replication of the original DNA strand. In the transcription phase, a polymerase is added to the DNA strand to create a RNA strand from the existing DNA. In translation, the final phase, the RNA is made into a protein by having multiple amino acids bind together according to the specified codons in the RNA strand. With the bacteria multiplying it becomes harmful to the individual infected because as the bacteria spreads throughout the body, it gives the individual symptoms such as coughing with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. It is important to cure because TB is a fatal disease when not treated properly. It is responsible for a high percentage of the world’s deaths, and though its death toll is decreasing annually, it is still a dangerous disease with a heavy global impact. Antibiotics are a known cure for TB. Streptomycin is a common example of an antibiotic that aids in the cure of TB. Streptomycin acts as a protein synthesis inhibitor. It works by causing the translation process to make more mistakes than usual. Usually, in the DNA replication, transcription, and translation process, there is less than one error for every billion, or more, base pairs copied (McCulloch). With the use of streptomycin, as high as …show more content…
In the disease, tuberculosis, the mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes the harmful effects in tuberculosis. The bacterium spreads throughout the body through methods similar to protein synthesis. However, certain antibiotics such as, streptomycin, help prevent and cure cases of TB. The antibiotics work through altering or interfering in the processes of replication, transcription, and translation. Streptomycin is a specific anti-biotic that helps inhibit the protein synthesis of the bacterium, essentially declining the rate of growth and killing off the rest of the bacterium. I believe this is a wonderful advancement in technology and a clever piece of innovation. Using the basic principles of DNA replication, transcription, and translation, harmful bacteria can spread quickly. Yet, using the same principles of DNA replication, transcription and translation, prevention methods and cures can be found by manipulating these processes to our