Antimicrobial Resistance Flashcards
Define intrinsic resistance.
The innate ability of an organism to resist the action of an antimicrobial as a consequence of its innate structural or functional characteristics.
Define antimicrobial resistance.
The acquired ability of a microbe to resist the effects of an antimicrobial.
List 4 drug types that commonly contribute to viral antimicrobial resistance.
1 - HAART drugs (protease inhibitors and reverse transcriptase inhibitors).
2 - DNA polymerase inhibitors.
3 - Neuraminidase inhibitors.
4 - Nucleoside analogues (e.g. aciclovir).
How do nucleoside analogues work?
By terminating viral DNA chains.
List 4 drug types that commonly contribute to bacterial antimicrobial resistance.
1 - Cell wall acting agents.
2 - Nucleic acid synthesis inhibitors.
3 - Protein synthesis inhibitors.
4 - Anti-tuberculosis drugs.
List 4 drug types that commonly contribute to fungal antimicrobial resistance.
1 - Polyenes.
2 - Imidazoles.
3 - Triazoles.
4 - Echinocandins.
List 2 drug types that commonly contribute to protozoa antimicrobial resistance.
1 - Quinolines.
2 - Antifolates.
Give an example of a drug that commonly contributes to parasitic antimicrobial resistance.
Benzimidazoles.
List 3 drugs that target the bacterial cell wall and membrane.
1 - Penicillins.
2 - Glycopeptides.
3 - Polymyxins.
List 3 drugs that target bacterial nucleic acid synthesis, giving examples where relevant.
1 - Folate antagonists.
2 - DNA gyrase inhibitors, e.g. quinolones.
3 - RNA polymerase inhibitors, e.g. rifamycins.
List 3 drugs that target bacterial protein synthesis.
Drugs targeting the 50S subunit:
1 - Macrolides.
2 - Lincomycins.
Drugs targeting the 30S subunit:
3 - Tetracyclines.
Describe the process of the development of antimicrobial resistance.
1 - Some bacteria are already resistant to an antimicrobial.
2 - An opportunity for drug resistant colonies to grow is created by the selective pressure of an antimicrobial.
3 - Expansion of drug resistant bacteria.
4 - Persistence of drug resistance after selective pressure has been removed.
List 6 mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance.
1 - Enzymatic inhibition of antimicrobial drugs.
2 - Changes in inner / outer membrane permeability.
3 - Mutations in target sites.
4 - Antibiotic efflux pumps.
5 - Protection of the target site.
6 - Overproduction of the target site.
List 3 ways by which de novo resistance can come about.
1 - Point mutations.
2 - Transferred resistance.
3 - Inducible resistance (due to the presence of an inducing agent).
List 3 common cases of bacterial resistance.
1 - Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
2 - Vancomycin resistant Enterococci spp. (VRE).
3 - Extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae spp. (ESBL).
