Antibiotics Flashcards
Explain “bacteriostatic”
prevents bacterial replication
what is bactericidal
toxic to bacteria - kills them
When would a bacteriostatic not be indicated for patient
When the patient is immunosuppressed they will not be able to clear bacteria even if replication is reduced by the antibiotic dose, because their immune system is not working properly. A bacteriocidal antibiotic will be better in this case.
what is selective toxicity in reference to antibiotics
they must be highly effective against the microbe but have minimal or no toxicity to humans
What are the ideal characteristics of an antibiotic? (4 concepts here)
- Selective toxicity
- Slow emergence of resistance
- Non-toxic to host
- No interference with other drugs
What are beta lactamases
An enzyme produced by bacteria that catalyses hydrolysis of the beta-lactam ring (inactivates beta-lactamase drugs eg penicillins and cephalosporins)
Means bacteria have a type of antibiotic resistance
how to overcome beta lactam resistance
give an example
add in Beta-Lactamase inhibitors
e.g. Clavulanic acid (there are others)
‘Kamikaze’ drugs
how do Beta-Lactamase inhibitors work
irreversibly bind the beta lactamase - mop up the enzyme so it is no longer available to inactivate the antibiotic
What Beta lactam antibiotics are there?
Penicillins e.g., benzylpenicillin, flucloxacilin, amoxicillin
Cephalosporins e.g., cephalexin, cefuroxime
less mainstream
Carbapenems e.g., imipenem, meropenem
Monobactams e.g., aztreonam
How do beta lactams work
Binding bacterial transpeptidases which are enzymes essential for peptidoglycan synthesis
Transpeptidases ≡ Penicillin Binding Proteins
Inhibits cell wall formation and leads to cell lysis
Bactericidal
Functional unit – Beta lactam ring
Amoxicillin
Mechanism of action ?
Activity?
Mechanism of action
Inhibition of bacterial cell wall synthesis
Activity - Broad spectrum
S. pyogenes (sore throat, skin infections)
Pneumococcal infections (resp. tract)
Coliform infections (urinary tract infections)
Amoxicillin
GI Absorption?
Protein binding?
Metabolism?
Half-life?
Excretion?
GI Absorption Good
Protein binding 20%
Metabolism Not significant
Half-life 1 hour
Excretion Urine
Amoxicillin
Adverse effects?
Interactions?
co prescription?
Adverse effects
Allergy (penicillin antibiotic)
Damage to commensal microflora (GI disturbance, opportunistic infections from Candida albicans,..)
Interactions
Can increase levels of other protein bound drugs
Co-amoxiclav
Amoxicillin + clavulanic acid
Cephalosporins – Broad Spectrum
what is their activity
Activity against transpeptidases of different bacterial species
Glycopeptides
e.g. Vancomycin, teicoplanin, telavancin? G+ve or -ve bacteria?
– only active in G+ve because too large to cross the wall of gram -ve
When are glycopeptide antibiotics used? How to administer?
Used (intravenous) for serious Gram positive organisms which produce beta-lactamases or are not responding to other treatments
Oral: not absorbed but used to treat Clostridium difficile (anaerobic) associated with diarrhoea (vancomycin)
what are Glycopeptide antibiotics?
Glycopeptide antibiotics are a type of antibiotic that inhibits bacterial cell wall formation by inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis
What are the risks of glycopeptide antbs
Important: Nephrotoxicity (renal toxicity)
Core Drug: Vancomycin
Activity?
Mechanism of action?
Activity
Only Gram-positive
Many resistant strains including Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA)
Mechanism of action
Inhibits bacterial cell wall (peptidoglycans) formation by a different target to beta lactams
Core Drug: Vancomycin
What to be wary of?
Narrow therapeutic window
Dose by drug levels in blood
Adverse effects
Nephrotoxic
Ototoxic (ear toxicity)
Core Drug: Vancomycin
GI absorption
Protein binding
Metabolism
Half-life
Excretion
GI absorption Very low
Protein binding 50%
Metabolism None (we don’t metabolise, pass through and excrete)
Half-life 4-8 hours
Excretion Urine
Ribosomal subunits in humans v bacteria
Humans (60/40) (???
Bacteria 50/30s (80)
How do antibiotics inhibit protein synthesis
act on 70s ribosomes (50s+30s)
What are Macrolides
Bacteriostatic or bactericidal (conc dependant)
Erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin
Activity: Gram positives, Gram negatives and cell wall deficient bacteria
Similar spectrum to (broad spectrum) penicillins so can be prescribed instead for cases of allergy or resistance to penicillins
Core Drug: Clarithromycin
activity?
MoA?
adverse effects?
Activity - Broad spectrum
Similar to amoxicillin
S. pyogenes (sore throat, skin infections)
Pneumococcal infections (resp. tract)
Coliform infections (urinary tract infections)
(patients with penicillin allergy)
Cell wall deficient bacteria (e.g., Chlamydia)
Mechanism of action
Inhibition of protein synthesis in the bacterial ribosome (50S subunit)
Adverse effects
Nausea and diarrhoea
May alter cardiac conduction - arrhythmias
Core Drug: Clarithromycin
Oral Bioavailability
Protein binding
Metabolism
Half-life
Excretion
Oral Bioavailability Good
Protein binding High
Metabolism Hepatic
Half-life 1~6 hours
Excretion Metabolites in bile