Antiviral Agents

Question 1

Name 3 outcomes of a viral infection.

Answer 1

1. host cell is lysed
2. host cell is persistently infected
3. host cell is latently infected

Question 2

What is the primary way to prevent viral spread?

Answer 2

public health measures, including prophylactic vaccines

Question 3

Why are antiviral drugs hard to develop?

Answer 3

viruses use intracellular host machinery; they are so heterogenous; viral polymerases have poor fidelity and allow mutation at a high rate

Question 4

What are the 5 steps of a viral life cycle where drugs can act upon?

Answer 4

1. attachment and entry
2. penetration
3. uncoating
4. nucleic acid synthesis
5. viral release

Question 5

What 3 drugs inhibit viral neuraminidase?

Answer 5

1. oseltamivir (Tamiflu)
2. zanamivir (Relenza)
3. peramivir (Rapivab)

Question 6

How do the viral neuraminidase inhibitors work?

Answer 6

block NA that cleaves sialic acid from host cell receptors for influenza A and B, so the viruses accumulate in the plasma membrane and also can’t penetrate through mucin secretions

Question 7

How is oseltamivir (Tamiflu) administered? zanamivir (Relenza)? peramivir (Rapivab)?

Answer 7

oral; inhaled; IV

Question 8

Which 2 drugs inhibit uncoating?

Answer 8

1. Amantadine (Symmetrel)

2. Rimantadine (Flumadine)

Question 9

How do the uncoating inhibitors work?

Answer 9

block virally encoded H+ ion channel, an M2 protein, preventing intracellular pH changes that are necessary for uncoating

Question 10

Amantadine (Symmetrel) and Rimantadine (Flumadine) are administered _____ and accumulate ____.

Answer 10

orally; in the lungs

Question 11

_____ is renally cleared while ____ is hepatically eliminated.

Answer 11

Amantadine (Symmetrel); Rimantadine (Flumadine)

Question 12

Amantadine (Symmetrel) and Rimantadine (Flumadine) are used to treat?

Answer 12

influenza A