Anti-infectives lecture Flashcards
Block addition of amino acids
Cycloserine
The penicillins may be
bactericidal (destroy bacteria) or bacteriostatic (slow or stop multiplication of bacteria)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Physiology and Structure
- Weakly gram-positive, strongly acid-fast, aerobic bacilli; Lipid-rich cell wall
- Resistant to disinfectants, detergents, common antibiotics and traditional stains
• Diseases
• Primarily infection is pulmonary; dissemination to any body site occurs most
commonly in immunocompromised patients and untreated patients
- Epidemiology
- Worldwide; one third population is infected with this organism
- Sixteen million existing cases of disease and 8 million new cases each year
• Treatment, Prevention and Control
• Multiple-drug regimens + prolonged treatment required to prevent
development of drug-resistant strains;
• Immunoprophylaxis with BCG in endemic countries;
• Control of disease through active surveillance, prophylaxis and therapeutic
intervention, and careful case monitoring.
Anti-mycobacterial Drugs - 1st line
- Isoniazid (INH)
- Rifampicin
- Ethambutol
- Pyrazinamide
Anti-mycobacterial Drugs - 2nd line
- Capreomycin
- Streptomycin
- Cycloserine
Latent tuberculosis infection
• Patient is infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis but symptom free;
immune system stimulation due to m. tuberculosis antigens
• Patient at risk of developing active disease in the future
• Treatment dependant on age, HIV status and liver function
• Patients <65yrs: 3 months of isoniazid (with pyridoxine) and rifampicin, or 6
months of isoniazid (with pyridoxine)
• Patients <35yrs where liver toxicity is a concern: 3 months of isoniazid (with
pyridoxine) and rifampicin; 6 months of isoniazid (with pyridoxine) if
interactions with rifamycins are a concern, e.g. in HIV or transplant patients
• For adults between the ages of 35 and 65 years, offer drug treatments only if
hepatotoxicity is not a concern
Active tuberculosis infection
• active TB, no CNS involvement, or active peripheral lymph node TB:
isoniazid (with pyridoxine), rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol for 2
months, then isoniazid (with pyridoxine) and rifampicin for a further 4 months.
• Active CNS TB: isoniazid (with pyridoxine), rifampicin, pyrazinamide and
ethambutol for 2 months, then isoniazid (with pyridoxine) and rifampicin for a
further 10 months.
• active spinal TB: CT or MRI scan for patients with neurological signs or
symptoms for CNS involvement. Manage direct spinal cord involvement (for
example, a spinal cord tuberculoma) as TB of the CNS.
• Disseminated TB (including miliary TB): Test for neurological signs or
symptoms for CNS involvement. If CNS involvement, treat as for CNS TB
• In all cases, modify the treatment regimen according to drug susceptibility
testing
Isoniazid - mechanism
• Prodrug; activated by bacterial enzymes, exerts inhibitory activity on
synthesis of mycolic acids – unique to cell wall of myobacteria
• Bacteriostatic at low conc, & Bacteriocidal at high conc
Isoniazid - PK
• Readily absorbed from GIT; diffuse into all body fluids (e.g. CSF) and
tissues
• Metabolized in liver by acetylation
• usually renal excretion
Isoniazid - ADR
- Peripheral and optic neuritis
- Allergic reaction
- Hepatitis
- Gastric upset
- Haemolytic anaemia
- Enzyme inhibitor
- CNS toxicity
Rifampicin - mechanism
• Inhibits subunit of bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, inhibiting
transcription;
• Bacteriocidal
Rifampicin - PK
- Well absorbed orally;
- Adequate CSF conc;
- Excreted mainly through liver to bile
Rifampicin - ADR
- Harmless red-orange colour to urine, sweat, tears, contact lenses;
- Rashes;
- Thrombocytopenia;
- Nephritis;
- Cholestatic jaundice, hepatitis;
- Flu-like syndrome;
- Induce cytochrome p-450
Indication of 2nd line treatment
- Resistance to the drugs of 1st line;
- Failure of clinical response;
- Increase of risky effects;
- Patient is not tolerating the first line drugs
Capreomycin
• It is an important injectable agent for treatment of drug- resistant tuberculosis
• nephrotoxic and ototoxic
• should not be given at the same time as streptomycin or other
drugs that may cause deafness
• 2nd line anti-mycobacteria drug
Malaria
• transmitted by the female anopheles mosquito
Malaria life cycle
- Infected mosquito transmits parasite, in the form of
sporozoites, into the bloodstream - Pre-erythrocytic or hepatic phase. Sporozoites
mature into schizonts which rupture to release
merozoites (3). Duration of this phase depends on
the species.In P. vivax and P. ovale, the schizont
may also differentiate into hypnozoites, dormant
forms of the parasite which may remain in the liver
for several months or years and cause relapse in
the human host.
3 Asexual phase (Erythrocytic schizogony)
Merozoites invade erythrocytes, grow and
mature into trophozoites which appear as ring
forms. The trophozoites develop into schizonts.
Infected cells rupture, releasing numerous
merozoites to infect other cells and causing
fever, chills, rigours and other symptoms of
malaria infection.
4 - 7. Sexual phase
Some merozoites differentiate into male and female gametocytes, which are taken up by mosquitos
during a blood meal. These fuse to form an ookinette in the gut lumen, which invades the stomach
wall to form the oocyst. This in turn develops and releases sporozoites which migrate to the salivary
gland of the mosquito.
Clinical presentation - Malaria
- Malaria – infectious disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa
- Transmitted by mosquito bites
- Initially multiply in liver – this stage largely asymptomatic
- 1-12 weeks after bite, release and multiply in host erythrocytes,
- parasite metabolizes haemoglobin, releasing toxic haem
- cell lysis
Symptoms (malarial paroxysm):
• Initially headache & lack of energy, muscle aches, chills
• fever – up to 40°C
• diarrhoea & vomiting, loss of appetite
Main therapeutic options for the treatment of uncomplicated
falciparum malaria in adults
• oral quinine plus doxycycline (or quinine plus clindamycin in certain
circumstances)
• Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT)
• Atovaquone plus proguanil (Malarone®)
• Mefloquine is effective however not recommended due to side effects and high
rate of non-compliance
Quinine
- derived from cinchona bark
- quinine, chloroquine, quinimax, amodiaquine, mefloquine, halofantrine
- chloroquine is the most widely used
Quinine and related agents - Mech of action
• Quinine/chloroquine etc., pyrimethamine, sulfadoxine, sulfones, tetracyclines all
blood schizonticidal agents
• To prevent toxicity, Haem is polymerized to haemozoin by the parasite
• Chloroquine and quinine inhibit haem polymerase, resulting in haem toxicity in
the parasite
Quinine and related agents - - PK
- good Foral
- t1/2 ~ 45 days due binding to tissue
- metabolized by liver and renal excretion
Quinine and related agents - ADR
- Chloroquine : nausea, vomiting diarrhoea, hot flush, rash
* Quinine: Cinchonism: tinnitus, deafness, headache, nausea, visual effects
Quinine and related agents - Cautions
- reduce dose in liver or renal disease
* Glucose6-phosphate deficiency
Quinine and related agents - CI
- avoid in pregnancy- chloroquine can cause fetal ototoxicity
- quinine preferred in pregnancy – more experience
Quinine and related agents -
Interactions
• Chloroquine : Risk of retinopathy with probencid
• Quinine: inhibits renal tubular secretion of digoxin; potentiates anti- coaggulant effect of warfarin; prolongs QT- avoid with other drugs that
do the same
Anti-malarial drugs:
Pyrimethamine
Proguanil
Pyrimethamine - Mechanism, PK, ADR
Mechanism
• Selective inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase in the parasite; should only be
given in combination with the sulphonamide sulfadoxine
PK
• Well absorbed from the gut and undergoes extensive hepatic metabolism
• The half-life is long, about 2-6 hours
ADR
• Photosensitive rashes, insomnia, megaloblastic anaemia due to inhibition of
human folate metabolism (with high doses).
Proguanil - Mechanism, PK, ADR
Mechanism
• Its active metabolite, cycloguanil, inhibits folate production by inhibiting
dihydrofolate reductase in both pre-erythrocytic and erythrocytic parasites
PK
• Well absorbed from the gut, metabolized by liver to produce cycloguanil, a potent
active derivation
• The half-life of proguanil is long, about 12-24 hours
ADR
• Mouth ulcers, epigastric discomfort, diarrhoea
Artemesinin
• Derived from the Chinese herb qing hao; also known as sweet
wormwood (Artemisia annua) • used for over 2000 years as a chinese herbal remedy, artemesinin and its
derivatives (artemether) are some of the most potent anti-malarial drugs available
• very rapid acting
• Artemisinin now largely given way to the more potent
dihydroartemisinin and its derivatives • artemether, artemotil, and artesunate
• all converted back in vivo to dihydroartemisinin
Mechanism
• Inhibition of a parasite Ca2+-dependent ATPase
• Exact mode of action unclear
• Short half-life makes it unsuitable for chemoprophylaxis and risks resistance
Artemesinin combination therapy
CoArtem
• artemethere plus lumefantrine (Riamet®)
• first fixed dose combination of an artemisinin derivative with a
second unrelated antimalarial compound
• highly potent anti-malarial drug
• beneficial against resistant strains
Lumefantrine
• an aryl amino-alcohol
• acts over a longer period to eliminate residual parasites
• active against all the human malaria parasites, including multi drug–resistant P. falciparum
• Different mode of action, reduces risk of resistance developing
• blood schizonticidal activity
• exact mechanism unknown; suggested that it inhibits the formation of βhematin by forming a complex with hemin and inhibits nucleic acid and
protein synthesis
Artemesinin
Oral absorption is good (bioavailability > 60%) with peak concentrations
usually achieved within 4 hours
PK
• Well absorbed from the gut
• Rapidly hydrolysed to an active metabolite that has a short half-life of 2-
3h
ADR
• Abdominal pain, nausea, anorexia, diarrhoea, dizziness, headache,
sleep disturbance, fatigue
• Interactions
Dihydroartemisinin
more variable oral bioavailability dependent on the excipients in the oral
formulation
Prophylaxis
• Principles of malaria prophylaxis
• Awareness about the risk of malaria, bites of mosquitoes should be avoided
• Chemoprophylaxia and compliance
• Diagnosis of febrile illness
• Chemoprophylaxis
• chloroquine plus proguanil
• start 2-20 days before travel, continue for the duration of stay and for 1-4 weeks after
return
• ADR
• common side effects at therapeutic dosage, not a guarantee against malaria
• Standby treatment • Mefloquine, Quinine
• Malaria is easily treatable early, delay in treatment can lead to serious/ fatal
consequences
• Chemoprophylaxis is NOT recommended for residents of
endemic area
Anti bacterial agents (antibiotics)
- cell wall synthesis, cell membrane function
- DNA replication/repair, transcription, translation
- antimetabolites