Microbial cells

Microbial cells is an umbrella term for all unicellular and simple multicellular living organisms, including bacteria, archaea, protozoa, some algae, fungi, and viruses. Although the collective of microbial cells forms the basis of infectious disease etiology and is the focus of antimicrobial drug development, 'microbial cells' in itself is not an individual target, receptor, or molecule; rather, it encompasses countless distinct biological entities with highly variable structures, functions, and roles in disease. Therapeutic interventions are designed to target particular molecular components or processes specific to certain microbial cell types or species—such as bacterial cell walls, fungal ergosterol synthesis, viral replication enzymes—rather than the broad, conceptually heterogeneous category of 'microbial cells'.

Other names

Microorganismsmicrobesmicrobial organismsmicrobial cells

Cell wall disruption, Inhibition of protein synthesis, Inhibition of DNA/RNA synthesis, Disruption of membrane integrity, Inhibition of metabolic pathways (all related to various classes of antimicrobials; mechanisms target specific components of diverse microbial cells)