antibiotics/antivirals Flashcards
describe antibiotics
a chemical able to inhibit the growth of, or to kill, micro-organisms, particularly bacteria
they prevent the bacteria from reproducing or destroying them
each antibiotic is only effective for certain types of bacterial infections and cannot be used to treat viral infections
doctors assess the cause of infection and prescribe as necessary
what do antibiotics do
- inhibition of DNA synthesis
- inhibition of cell wall/synthesis
- lysis of the cell membrane
- inhibition of protein synthesis
what are bactericidal
disrupt synthesis of cell wall/cell membrane
what are most antibiotics based of
30% of antibiotics are penicillin based but bacteria have developed resistance
how many people are allergic to penicillin
10% of people
where does cephalosporin come from
it is derived from fungus which interferes with cell wall synthesis
less allergic reactions in human population
what is bacteriostatic
stop bacteria from reproducing by interfering with protein synthesis
disrupt action of bacterial enzymes
what is streptomycin
produced by actinomycetes which live in the soil and produce branching filaments
examples of antibiotics that interfere with protein synthesis
erthromycin, neomycin, tetracycline and vancomycin
what is broad spectrum
affect a wide range of different types of bacteria
what is narrow spectrum
are effective only against specific types of bacteria
what does antibiotic resistance refer to
bacteria have evolved and developed resistance to certain antibiotics
what is multiple drug resistance
bacteria are resistance to multiple types or all available types of antibiotics
what is total drug resistance
resistant to all types of antibiotics
i.e some strain of tuberculosis and gonorrhoea
describe antivirals
antivirals are a drug used for the treatment of viral infections
antibiotics are ineffective against viruses- no treatment for colds, chicken pox or measles
why are antivirals hard to make
difficult to find a drug to combat viruses unique replication method
what do current antivirals target
HIV, herpes, hepatitis B and C, influenza A and B
how do antivirals work
antivirals bind to the viral DNA or RNA
inhibit the development of viruses through targeting viral proteins that can be disabled which slows down their replication
how can antivirals help
- prevent viral attachment and/or entry
- inactivate extracellular virus particles and prevent them from uncoating
- prevent replication of the viral genome
- prevent synthesis (transcription/translation) of specific viral protein
- prevent assembly or release of new infectious virions/viral particles
