Antibiotics (Dustin) Flashcards
Define antibiotic
a substance produced by a living organism that inhibits other microorganisms’ growth and/or reproduction
Define chemotherapeutic
artificially created antimicrobial substance
How are bacteriostatic antiobiotics evaluated?
By their MIC: Minimal Inhibitory Concentration
How are bactericidal antibiotics evaluated?
By their MBC: minimal bactericidal concentration
What do the beta lactam antibiotics do?
Inhibit cell wall synthesis.
They have a beta lactam ring that competitively binds to/inhibits transpeptidase enzyme (aka PBP or penicillin binding protein).
With PBP inhibited, 5-glycine crossbridges cannot form -> cell wall deformation, weakening, and lysis (bactericidal effect)
What mechanism helps gram negative bacteria to be more resistant to beta lactam antibiotics?
Their protective outer membrane has porins that have evolved to be selective against beta lactams
What are the 5 subdivisions of beta lactam antibiotics?
- Penicillins
- Cephalosporins
- Carbapenems
- Monobactams
- Beta Lactamase Inhibitors (although theyre a bit different)
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What are 2 advantages of cephalosporins over penicillins?
- More resistance to beta lactamase
- New R group makes it easier to modify it in the lab and make new drugs, meaning at this point 5 generations of cephalosporins have been made
Can you name a broad-spectrum antibiotic in the penicillin category?
Ampicillin
(penicillin itself is narrow-spectrum)
Why would you give beta lactamase inhibitors in conjunction with (other) beta lactam antibiotics?
Bacteria have evolved a defense mechanism against beta lactam antibiotics by producing the enzyme beta lactamase, which breaks these antibiotics
By giving beta lactam inhibitors, that enzyme is unable to destroy the real antibiotic and thus it’s more effective
Can you name two beta lactamase inhibitors?
clavulanic acid
sulbactam
Can you name two carbapenem antibiotics?
One monobactam?
(prob wont need to know until the final)
2 Carbapenems: meropenem, imipenem
Monobactam: aztreonam
What is the main Glycopeptide antibiotic we need to know?
Bacteriostatic or -cidal?
Which bacteria is it effective against?
Vancomysin
Bacteriocidal
Effective against many Gram positives - even used in culture media to prevent Gram positive growth when you want to culture the Gram negs.
What do glycopeptide antibiotics do?
Interfere with peptidoglycan synthesis in only gram-positive bacteria
Interacts with the D-ala-D-ala termini of side chains -> blocks formation of bridges between peptidoglycan chains
Also destroy cytoplasmic membrane, prevent RNA synthesis
What do Polypeptide Antibiotics do?
i.e. Bacitracin and polymyxins, these antibiotics inhibit cell wall synthesis / interfere with the phospholipid construction (bactericidal effect). They have amphipathic agents that disrupt membrane phospholipids
Commonly used as a topical antibiotic in creams etc.