Kozel: Antibiotic Resistance Flashcards
What are some characteristics of the ideal antimicrobial?
selective toxicity bactericidal rather than bacteriostatic absence of genetic resistance broad spectrum non-allergenic minimal adverse side effects remains active in the body water soluble
What are the 5 categories of antibiotic action?
cell wall synthesis membrane function nucleic acid synthesis protein synthesis metabolic pathways
What are the 5 categories of mechanisms of resistance?
- enzymatic inactivation
- decreased permeability
- efflux
- modification of susceptible molecular target
- failure to convert an inactive precursor to its active form
This term describes the absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs
pharmacokinetics
What does pharmacodynamics refer to? What relationships are observed?
relationship between concentration and toxic effects
relationship between concentration and antimicrobial effect
What is the difference between the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericical concentration (MBC)?
MIC = minimum [drug] that inhibits GROWTH
MBC = minimum [drug] that KILLS
What is the difference between bactericidal and bacteriostatic?
bactericidal: kills the microbe
bacteriostatic: inhibits microbe growth, but does not kill the organism - relies on the host to clear the microbe
What does synergy refer to?
synergy is when you use two antibiotics in conjunction to increase the effectiveness and the action relative to each drug given alone
ex: viridans streptococcal meningitis is treated with penicillin and gentamycin
What is the postantibiotic effect?
this refers to the persistent suppression of growth following exposure to an antimicrobial
How LONG a drug stays above the MIC; TIME dependent killing; minimal to moderate persistent effects
Time > MIC
A ratio of the 24hour serum concentration curve over the MIC; tells you about the total exposure of the microbe to antimicrobial agent; largely time-dependent killing; prolonged persistent effects
AUC/MIC
A ratio of the MAXIMUM serum concentration over the MIC; CONCENTRATION-dependent killing; prolonged persistent effects
Cmax/MIC
Higher drug concentrations have higher rate and extent of bactericidal activity
concentration-dependent killing agents
Bactericidal action is relatively slow; saturation of killing occurs at low multiples of the MIC
time-dependent killing agents
What do the beta lactam antibiotics do?
inhibit cell wall synthesis
List some beta lactam antibiotics
penicillin penicillin derivatives cephalosporins carbapenems beta lactamase inhibitors
Which type of bacteria do natural penicillins mostly target?
gram positives
Narrow spectrum - mostly gram positives
Wide use clinically - drug of choice if sensitive
Provide the starting material for semisynthetic penicillins
natural penicillins
Which natural penicillin cannot be taken orally?
penicillin G
What are penicillin binding proteins? What do they do?
PBPs are normal proteins on many bacteria that bind beta lactam antibiotics; they form the pentapeptide-pentaglycine bridges that cross-link peptidoglycans - they are essential for bacterial cell wall synthesis
What is the mechanism of action of penicillins?
they bind to penicillin binding proteins on the microbe
they block peptidoglycan cross-linking
Are penicillins bactericidal or bacteriostatic?
they are bactericidal - they cause eventual lysis due to autolytic enzymes that “chew up” the cell wall
What are some ways that bacteria can become resistance to penicillins?
- inactivation by beta lactamase - cleaves the beta lactam ring
- prevent access of the antibiotic to penicillin binding proteins on the bacteria
- alter the penicillin binding site by decreasing the number or affinity of PBPs
Give an example of a bacteria that prevents access of the antibiotic to the penicillin binding protein
N. gonorrhoeae alters the porins of the outer membrane
Give an example of a bacteria that alters the penicillin binding site
MRSA - changes the penicillin binding proteins so methicillin is not effective
Why are penicillinase-resistant penicillins effective? Give an example of one such drug.
they introduce a bulky group near the B-lactam hydrolysis site and prevent penicillinase from binding and cleaving the B-lactam; methicillin
Why is it harder for antibiotics to traverse a gram negative cell wall vs a gram positive cell walls? What is one characteristic of broad spectrum penicillins that allows this molecule to penetrate the outer membrane porins?
antibiotic must traverse the OUTER membrane of the gram negative bacteria which resists penetration by hydrophobic molecules; broad spectrum penicillins have a charged group which enhances penetration of the outer membrane porins and allow for that penetration
What type of dosing strategy should you use with penicillin?
drug exhibits time-dependent killing, so maximize exposure to drug (time above MIC)
What are some toxicity and side effects of taking penicillins?
allergic reactions - forms a hapten
GI disturbances - knocks out normal GI flora (esp ampicillin)
What is the structure of penicillins?
beta lactam ring - cut at C-N bond by beta lactamase (penicillase)
5 member thiazolidine ring
If a patient is allergic to penicillin, what might you consider first?
cephalosporins
What is the structure of cephalosporins?
B-lactam ring + a 6 membered ring (instead of 5 in penicillin)
Why are cephalosporins sometimes used in place of penicillin?
they are generally resistant to Beta-lactamases
There are “generations” of cephalosporins. What does this mean?
The different generations of cephalosporins have evolved to be able to treat a wider variety of bugs
1st generation: narrow spectrum antibiotic - only works on some gram negatives
2nd generation: expanded spectrum - works for more gram negatives
3rd generation: BROAD spectrum - designed to work against PSEUDOMONAS
4th generations: extended spectrum
Why would you want to take a cephalosporin parenterally (injection) vs. orally?
if the patient is very sick, they may not be able to take antibiotics by mouth
What are some toxicity concerns and side effects for cephalosporins?
cross-reaction with penicillin
GI effects most common - diarrhea, nausea
superinfections may result with use of broad spectrum cephalosporins if the GI flora is knocked out and bacteria are able to colonize
What is the structure of carbapenems?
Beta-lactam ring + a modified alpha 5 member ring without Sulfer
What are some unique features of carbapenems?
They have a high affinity for penicillin binding proteins on most gram positive and gram negative bacteria, so they are exceptionally broad spectrum. Also, they penetrate the outer membranes of gram negatives well. Furthermore, they are highly resistant to beta-lactamase b/c they have a large -CH2OHCH3 group that is bulky and prevents the enzyme from binding and cleaving the ring
When are carbapenems used clinically? What are two common carbapenems? Are they effective against MRSA?
used for a wide variety of infections (broad spectrum); imipenem, muropenem; not currently effective against MRSA
How are carbapenems administered? They are rapidly hydrolyzed in the kidney, so what other drug can be given in conjunction to slow down renal degradation?
parenterally (injected); Cilastatin is given which blocks the renal degradation
Allergic effects of carbapenems?
generally well tolerated
allergic reactions may occur
What are two examples of Beta-lactamase inhibitors?
Cluvalanic acid
Sulbactam
Do beta-lactamase inhibitors kill bacteria themselves? What do they do? When are they used?
no, they have very limited direct antibacterial action, but they are more like suicide inhibitors, bc they form an intermediate of the beta lactam that is hydrolyzed very slowly; they are used in conjunction with penicillase-sensitive beta-lactams
Give an example of a common beta-lactamase inhibitor: penicillinase-sensitive beta lactam combo
amoxicillin given with clavulanate (Augmentin)
List one glycopeptide antibiotic. What is its structure?
vancomycin; disaccharide with several amino acids
What is the mechanism of action of vancomycin? Is it bactericidal or bacteriostatic?
it prevents TRANSPEPTIDIZATION by binding to the terminal D-ala-D-ala of the cell wall of bacteria; bactericidal
How does resistance to vancomycin work? For vancomycin resistnat enterococcus vs vancomycin intermediate S. aureus?
it is plasmid mediated; for vancomycin resistant enterococcus, the target of vancomycin is altered such that a lactate is put in place of a terminal alanine so vancomycin cannot bind to ala-ala; for vancomycin intermediate staph aureus, there are many repeats of the terminal ala-ala which acts as a decoy for vancomycin
What is the spectrum of vancomycin?
used for gram positives - often the drug of last resort
How is vancomycin administered?
IV, unless you are treating C. difficile in which case it is given orally