Anti-Infective Agents Flashcards
Parasitic worm infections are also called what?
helminth infections
Parasitic Infections include what specifically?
- roundworms (flukes)
- tapeworms
Where are parasitic infections common?
- common in tropical, poor rural areas
How are specific diagnostics performed for parasitic infections?
- often involve evaluating stool/feces for eggs
How do antihelmintics act in the body?
- act locally within the gut or systemically for those that infect other locations
- they expel parasitic worms and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host
Antihelmintic Agents
- Albendazole
- Ivermectin
- Nitazoxanide
- Praziquantel
- Pyrantel
Side effects of Pyrantel
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- abdominal pain
- heachache
- rash
Antibacterial Agents
- development of new agents to keep up with patterns of resistance
- resistance develops as a “survival” mechanism for bacteria, disabling the antibiotic
- therapeutic drug monitoring can prevent toxicity and can ensure appropriate drug dose
- watch for avoidable food and drug interactions that may contribute to suboptimal therapy
How do penicillins act in the body?
- can easily enter bacterial cell in case of gram-positive species
- gram-positive bacteria do not have an outer cell membrane and are simply enclosed in a thick cell wall
- PCN molecules are small enough to pass through the spaces of glycoproteins in the cell wall
- gram-positive bacteria are very susceptible to PCN
Gram-positive bacterias
- Staphylococcus
- Streptococcus
- Enterococcus
Characteristics of PCN
- 10% cross-sensitivity with cephalosporins
- low plasma protein binding capacity
- short half-life (requires multiple x/day dosing)
- excreted by the kidneys
Side Effects of PCN
- diarrhea
- nausea
- rash
- superinfection (candidiasis)
PCN Resistance
- E. coli produced specific enzymes that can break down pcn molecule “Penicillinase” aka B-lactamase
- B-lactamases is the most important mechanism of pcn resistance
- B-lactamase inhibitors prevent the bacterial degradation of beta lactam antibiotics and extend the rage of bacteria drugs are effective against
- B-lactamase inhibitors have little antibiotic activity on their own
Characteristics of Cephalosporins
- beta-lactam antibiotic
- most commonly prescribed drugs
- broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage
- less susceptible to beta-lactamase
- disrupt the synthesis of the peptidoglycan layer forming the bacterial cell wall
Side Effects of Cephalosporins
- N/V/D
- rash
- pain at the injection site
- superinfection (10% cross-sensitivity)
1st Generation Cephalosporins
- oldest cephalosporins
- active against gram-positive cocci
1st generation cephalosporins are not useful against what?
- enterococci
- listeria
- MRSA
- gram-negative cocci (gonococcus, meningococcus)
- H. influenza
1st generation cephalosporins are effective against what?
- E. coli
- Proteus mirabilis
- Klebsiella pneumonia
Examples of 1st generation cephalosporins
- Cefadroxil
- Cefazolin
- Cephelaxin
2nd Generation Cephalosporins are less active against what?
- less active against staphylococci and enhanced activity against H-influenza
- weak gram-positive coverage
- strong gram-negative coverage
2nd Generation Cephalosporins are active against what?
- cephamycins (subgroup) are active against Bacteroides
Examples of 2nd generation cephalosporins
- Cefaclor
- Cefprozil
- Cefuroxime
- Cefotetan
- Cefoxtin
3rd Generation Cephalosporins
- marked by stability to the common B-lactamases of gram-negative bacilli, and these compounds are highly active against Enterobacteriaceae, Neisseria, and H. influenza
Examples of Enterobacteriaceae that 3rd generation cephalosporins are active against
- E. coli
- Proteus mirabilis
- indole-positive Proteus
- Klebsiella
- Enterobacter
- Serratia
- Citrobacter
4th Generation Cephalosporins
- has good penetration through outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria
- similar activity to cefotaxime and ceftriaxone
Example of 4th generation cephalosporins
- Cefepime
4th generation cephalosporins are active against what?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Side effects of 4th generation cephalosporins
Superinfection
- enterocci
- candida
Cholramphenicol
- useful against typhoid and conjunctivitis
- no longer recommended by WHO as first-line to treat meningitis
Side effects of cholramphenicol
- bone marrow suppression
- aplastic anemia
- leukemia
- N/V
Characteristics of Macrolides
- natural product consisting of a large macrocyclic ring
- are bacteriostatic in that they suppress or inhibit bacterial growth rather than killing bacteria completely
- are protein synthesis inhibitors
- wider antibiotic spectrum than penicillins
Macrolides are useful treating what?
- used to treat infections by gram-positive bacteria (PCN allergic patients), community acquired respiratory tract infections, and mycobacterial infections
Examples of Macrolides
- Azithromycin
- Clarithromycin
- Erythromycin
- Fidaxomicin
Side Effects of Macrolides
- clarithromycin and erythromycin are potent inhibitors of CYP3A4 and cause QT prolongation which can lead to Torsades de Pointes
- exhibit enterohepatic recycling
- can also cause cholestasis and Infantile pyloric stenosis
- given with colchicine may lead to colchicine toxicity
What is enterohepatic recycling?
- drugs absorbed by the gut sent to the liver, excreted into the duodenum in bile from the liver, leading to build up