combating infections: antimicrobial and vaccines

Question 1

what are the microbes

Answer 1

• bacteria (antibiotics, antibacterials)
  - viruses (antivirals)
  - parasites (antiparasitic agents)
  - fungi (antifungals)

Question 2

bacteria

Answer 2

bacteriostatic - prevents bacteria from reproducing (penicillin/beta-lactams), (glycopeptides/ vancomycin), (polymyxin/ colistin).
bactericidal - kill bacteria (macrolides/ erythromycin), (chloramphenicols), (tetracyclines/ doxycycline)

antibiotics - inhibits: protein synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis. Disrupts the cell membrane functions, blocks metabolic pathways and metabolism

Question 3

antivirals

Answer 3

An agent that targets a virus or suppresses its ability to replicate therefore inhibiting its ability to multiply and reproduce. Examples: influenza, HIV
Can target varying steps in the viral lifestyle.
Inhibits virus-receptor binding usually by mimicking the protein that binds to the receptor.
Uncoating inhibitors
Nucleic acid synthesis inhibitors
Enzyme inhibitors
Reverse transcription inhibitors

Question 4

antiparastic

Answer 4

They are agents that treat infections. With a parasite e.g.g helminths, amoeba and protozoa.

Antiparasitics- they target the nucleic acid synthesis, membrane synthesis, metabolism associated enzymes and protein synthesis. examples are chloroquine and quinine, antibiotics can have antiparasitic action such as clindamycin and doxycycline.

Question 5

antifungal

Answer 5

They are a medication that is a pharmaceutical fungicide (biocidal chemical used to kill fungi)or fungistatic (inhibits fungal growth) used to treat and prevent fungal infections. Examples are athlete’s foot, candidiasis and ringworm.

Polyenes- membrane disrupting agents (associated with ergosterol to form pore structures, membrane leakage, cell death)
Azoles -Ergosterol synthesis inhibitors ( inhibits ergosterol synthesis, alters membrane fluidity , mainly fungistatic)
flucytosine - DNA synthesis inhibitor ( enters the fungal cells via cytosine permease, inhibiting protein synthesis and DNA synthesis)
echinocandins - glucan synthesis inhibitors (inhibits beta1,3 Glucan synthase which is essential for fungal cell wall)

Antimicrobial resistance- occurs when bacteria and fungi change their response to use of these medicines.
Primary/ natural resistance - linked to species or stain, resistance without being exposed to the drug
Secondary- susceptible stain becomes resistant, either through mutation or selection, through horizontal gene, transfer in bacteria