0604 - Antiparasitic Agents Flashcards
Why are parasites bad? Which are the worst?
Affects growth of kids, education participation, ability to respond to vaccination.
Malaria far and away most deaths (1.17 million) and DALY’s (82.7 million), but Ascaris most human cases (819 million).
What are some ways to manage parasites?
Education - change behaviour
Sanitation - Remove sources of infection
Vector Control
Improved nutrition - reduce impact of infection.
Strategic drug treatments - Reduce pathology and reduce transmission.
General characteristics of a good anti-parasite drug
Effective - kill/incapacitate/paralyse correct stage of life cycle, preferably with only single treatment.
Selective - Not affecting host or non-target organisms at therapeutic doses, but industry prefers broad spectrum of parasites.
Relatively non-toxic - to the host, but not the parasite.
Pharmacokinetics and dynamics - proper DM, good half life - hit tissue dwelling vs intestinal.
Chemically stable - for storage
Economical to produce
Easy and safe to administer with minimal medical supervision.
Why is Drug Resistance a problem for antiparasitic agents?
Most drugs are old, and have been used extensively in veterinary medicine, breeding resistance there. Now also appearing in human parasites where mass treatment has been undertaken.
