Antivirals (from CTFs Lecture) Flashcards
What is a virus?
An obligate, intracellular parasite with no cell wall or cell membrane
What is a virus capable of doing?
Causing disease in the infected host
How big are viruses?
Small - 25-400nm
What does the viral genome consist of?
RNA or DNA
What does viral replication use?
Host machinery
Why does the virus use the host machinery to replicate?
As they don’t have their own organelles (mitochondria, golgi etc)
What is the result of the virus using host machinery to replicate?
They hide inside the cell and make it hard to prevent viral replication without injury to the host
What are the steps in viral replication?
- Attachment
- Penetration
- Uncoating
- Replication/protein synthesis
- Assembly
- Release
What happens in the attachment stage of viral replication?
Virus particles (virons) must first attach to specific receptors on the surface of a host cell
How might penetration occur in viral replication?
Direct fusion wiht the cell membrane, or endocytosis and pH mediated fusion
What happens in the uncoating stage of viral replication?
The virion disassembles, freeing nucleic acid and viral proteins needed for replication
What happens in the replication/protein synthesis stage of viral replication?
Viral proteins and messages are expressed
What happens in the assembly stage of viral replication?
New virions containg viral nucleic acid are formed
What happens in the release stage of viral replication?
New virions are released from the cell via lysis of the cell, or intra- or extracellular budding
What antivirals are used in the treatment of influenza A and B?
- Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)
- Zanamivir
How is oseltamivir administered?
Orally
How is zanamivir administered?
Inhaled/intranasally
What class of antivirals are oseltamivir and zanamivir?
Neuroaminidase inhibitor
What is the mechanism of action of neuroaminidase inhibitors?
They block the release of newly formed virions from the host cell
How might the influenza virus obtain resistance to oseltamivir and zanamivir?
Mutation of NA (neuroanimidase enzyme), e.g. H275Y mutation so can’t bind oseltamivir
When can oseltamivir or zanamivir be used?
- Prophylactically, to prevent infection
- Within 48 hours of infection to reduce intensity and duration of symptoms
Is prophylactic use of antivirals the preferred approach in prevention of flu?
No, the preferred approach is yearly vaccinations for those at risk, e.g. elderly, respiratory diease, immunocompromised
What diseases are the herpes viruses associated with?
- Cold sores
- Encephalitis
- Genital infections
What is used to treat herpes viruses?
Aciclovir (Zovirax)
How is aciclovir administered?
- Orally
- IV
- Topical cream
What class of antiviral is aciclovir?
Purine/pyramidine (DNA base) analogue
What is the mechanism of action of purine/pyramidine analogues?
They get phosphorylated by viral thymidine kinase, which activates it and inhibits viral DNA synthesis
How might aciclovir resistance arise?
Due to thymidine kinase enzyme mutation in the virus, which prevents binding to aciclovir so it can’t act as a false substrate in DNA replication anymore