33.2 Treatment of Bacterial Infection Flashcards
What are the physical methods by which bacterial infections can be treated?
- Surgical drainage (e.g. of abscesses)
- Debridement (e.g. in necrotizing fasciitis).
What is debridement?
- Debridement is a procedure for treating a wound in the skin. It involves thoroughly cleaning the wound and removing all hyperkeratotic (thickened skin or callus), infected, and nonviable (necrotic or dead) tissue, foreign debris, and residual material from dressings.
- It may be used in e.g. necrotizing fasciitis
How are antibiotics able to be selectively toxic?
kill bacteria w/out damaging host (exploit various structural/ metabolic differences)
What is the action of beta lactams?
*Bacteria have peptidoglycan walls essential for integrity of their structure. W/out cell lysis occurs due to ↑ osmotic pressure
*Beta lactams inhibit transpeptidases (enzymes that crosslink strands of peptidoglycan - inhibition of cell wall synthesis), bind to PBP in cell membrane. Murein hydrolases (autolytic enzymes) activated
*They are bactericidal.
What antibiotics are beta lactams?
Penicillin, Amoxicillin, Benzylpenicillin, Flucloxacillin.
What is the action of Isoniazids?
Blocks long-chain mycolic acids, selective for mycobacteria.
Are isoniazids bactericidal or bacteriostatic?
They are bactericidal for growing organisms, otherwise they are bacteriostatic.
What is the action of Macrolides?
Inhibit translation (inhibiting protein synthesis) by binding 50S ribosomal subunit
Give an example of a macrolide
Erythromycin
What is the action of aminoglycosides?
Inhibit translation by binding 30S ribosomal subunit
What antibiotics are aminoglycosides?
Gentamicin, Tetracycline, Streptomycin.
What is the action of Chloramphenicol?
Inhibition of peptidyl transferase.
What is the action of rifamycins?
Inhibits bacterial transcription?
Give an example of a rifamycin.
Rifampicin.
What is the action of 2,4-diaminopyridines?
Inhibits folate metabolism (which is an essential cofactor for DNA) and hence DNA synthesis.
Give an example of a 2,4-diaminopyridines.
Trimethoprim.
What is the action of quinolones?
Inhibits DNA synthesis by binding DNA gyrase (a topoisomerase)
Give an example of a quinolone.
Ciprofloxacin
Why are sulphonamides now rarely used as antibiotics?
Sulphonamides (antifolates) are now rarely used due to resistance.
How do the properties of antibiotic derivatives differ from the original antibiotic?
The derivatives can have a different spectra of activity, bioavailability, and adverse effects.
What are some reasons why antibiotics may be used in combination?
- Empiric therapy when pathogen is unknown
- Synergistic action (cell wall/protein synthesis)
- Combining ‐cidal with ‐static in general
- Reduce emergence of resistance