Anti-Infectives Flashcards
What is the primary way we treat bacterial infections?
Antibiotics
Define bacteremia.
The presence of bacteria in the blood.
Define septicemia.
The presence of pathogens and their toxins in the blood.
What is the difference between something that is bactericidal and bacteristatic?
Cidal will kill it, static inhibits the growth and replication of it.
What class of antibiotic are penicillins?
B-lactam antibiotics?
How do penicillins (and other B-lactams) work?
The antibiotics bind to the proteins in the cell wall and inhibit cell wall synthesis, causing the cell to lyse.
What is B-lactamase and why is it relevant to antibiotic treatments?
B-lactamase is an enzyme produced by bacteria that breaks down the B-lactam that allows the antibiotics to stick to the cell wall, creating resistance to B-lactam antibiotics.
What is given to combat the production of B-lactamase by resistant bacteria?
Tazobactam is an antibiotic often used with piperacillin which inhibits B-lactamase formation and increases the effectiveness of piperacillin.
What class of antibiotic are cephalosporins?
B-lactams
What are the three cephalosporins you have to know?
Ceftriaxone, Cefuroxime, and Cefotaxime.
What class of antibiotics are Carbapenems?
B-lactams
What kind of antibiotics are reserved for the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria?
Carbapenems
What are the two carbapenems you have to know?
Imipenem and Meropenem
What kind of antibiotic is streptomycin?
An aminoglycoside
What class of antibiotic are gentamycin and tobramycin?
Aminoglycosides
How do aminoglycosides work?
They prevent RNA from developing the peptides used in the construction of the cell wall, which weakens the cell wall and causes the cell to lyse.
What are quinolones used to treat?
Respiratory infections, gram negative and positive bacteria, and mycobacteria.
What is a drawback to using quinolones?
There is potential for significant side effects.
What are the three quinolones you need to know?
Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, and Moxifloxacin.
What is vancomycin and what is it used for?
It is a glycopeptide antibiotic used only against gram positive bacteria, typically for antibiotic resistant nosocomial infections (like MRSA).
What kind of test do we use to identify tuberculosis and why?
An acid-fast stain because TB has a thick, waxy cell wall that gram staining cannot penetrate.
What are the common drugs used to treat TB?
Isonazid, Rifampin, Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol, and Streptomycin
What is the treatment for H1N1?
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)
What class of drug is Fluconazole and what is it used for?
It is an Azole anti-fungal typically used for candida infections.
