Antimicrobials Flashcards
How are antibiotics mostly cleared from the body?
by the bacteria themselves
what is the breakpoint?
the concentration at which bacteria are susceptible to successful treatment by an antibiotic
When is a bacteria classed as resistant in regard to the breakpoint?
if the antibiotic needs to be at a higher concentration than the breakpoint to treat the infection
What classes an infection as multi-drug resistant?
the bacteria are resistant to at least 3 of the major classes of antibiotics
What classes an infection as extensively-drug resistant?
the bacteria are resistant to at least 5 of the major classes of antibiotics
What classes an infection as pan-drug resistant?
the bacteria are resistant to all known classes of antibiotics
What does antibiotic resistance mean in the lab?
when the minimum inhibitory concentration of a drug against a bacteria is greater than the breakpoint
What does antibiotic resistance mean in the patient?
when the minimum inhibitory concentration of a drug against the bacteria is not achieved for long enough to cure the infection
What are four factors that can affect the minimum inhibitory concentration (and therefore the level of antibiotic resistance) in a patient?
dose size/dose frequency, the pharmacokinetics of the drug in the patient, the infection site, the pharmacodynamics of the drugs against the infecting bacteria
What is the definition of antibiotic resistance?
the failure of an antibiotic to kill or arrest a bacterial population
What theory do antibiotics work on?
the lock and key theory
In general, how does antibiotic resistance occur?
resistance methods stop the antibiotic-target site complex developing
What are efflux pumps?
systems in the bacteria that pump out waste products and toxic substances from inside the cell
How are efflux pumps regulated?
DNA
What are the two outcomes of a natural, spontaneous DNA mutation?
they can be silent mutations or have an affect on how the cell functions
What is the consequence of the bacteria developing resistance?
the cell will need to reroute energy from elsewhere
What can happen to bacteria that become resistant to Colistin?
they take longer to grow and divide and can eventually be outcompeted for resources
What is the gene that codes for the metallo-beta-lactamase enzyme?
NDM-1
What does the metallo-beta-lactamase enzyme do?
‘chops up’ beta-lactam antibiotics and renders them inert