Glossary

agar: An inert gelatin-like substance that provides a solid surface for growth of microbial colonies.

amino acid: One of 20 small molecules that comprise the subunits of proteins.

amino acyl tRNA synthetase: An enzyme that attaches a specific type of amino acid to a specific type of transfer RNA in preparation for protein synthesis; each amino acid-tRNA combination uses a different amino acyl tRNA synthetase.

antibiotic: A chemical that controls infection by blocking microbial growth and, in some cases, by killing microbes while doing little harm to the mammalian host of the microbes; in Antibiotic Resistance, antibiotics are considered to include antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiprotozoan, and antihelminth agents.

antibiotic resistance: The capability of a particular pathogen population to grow in the presence of a given antibiotic when the antibiotic is used according to a particular regimen. See clinical resistance.