Quiz: Antibiotics, Antifungals, Antivirals, and immune system drugs Flashcards
Hematopoiesis
The formation and maturation of blood cells; this occurs in the bone marrow
Hematopoietic stem cells differentiate to become:
- Erythrocytes (RBC)
- Leukocytes (WBC)
- Thrombocytes (platelets)
Leukopenia
Low white blood cells
Leukocytosis
High white blood cell count
Thrombocytopenia
Low platelets - have bleeding problems
Immunity
The ability to resist and fight infection
- Requires help from both WBCs and the lymphatic system
- Recognition, processing, and destruction of foriegn invaders
- Removal of damaged cells
- Protection against proliferation of abnormal or malignant cells
Antigens
Foreign or “nonself” substances that trigger the immune system
Active immunity
The immune system is stimulated to produce antibodies by a pathogen or its vaccine
Generates memory B cells
Passive immunity
When antibodies are “transferred” or “donated” from one person to another
- Protection is short-lived (does not generate B cells)
- Maternal antibodies cross the placenta
- Gamma globulin given after exposure to hepatitis
- Sera to treat botulism, tetanus, and rabies
- Anti-venom for snake pite
Immunomodulator
- A general term referring to any drug or therapy that affects body defenses
- Some are used to stimulate body defenses so that microbes or cancer cells can be attacked (immunostimulant)
- Some are used to suppress body defences to prevent organ transplant regection or treat autoimmune diseases (immunosuppressant)
Vaccination/immunization
The injection of a killed or weakened organism that produced immunity against that organism
Booster
Follow-up vaccination to provide sustained protection
Vaccines that do not maintain life immunity need a “boost”
Titer
The amount of antibody detected after the vaccine has been administered; shows if you have the antibody response (or not)
If it is below a certain level, a booster is needed
Attenuated (live) vaccines
Microbes are alive but weakened so that they are unable to produce the disease (unless patient is immunocompromised)
- Can sometimes cause subclinical symptoms
- Examples: measles, mumps, rubella vaccines, oral polio, varicella
Inactivated (killed) vaccines
Microbes are unable to replicate or cause disease
- Examples: influenza, hepatitis A vaccine
- Symptoms are the body building up the antibody response, not you getting sick
- Your system does get a little weaker while building antibody response an can make you more susceptible to fight off other infections
Toxoid
Contains bacterial toxins that have been chemically modified to be incapable of causing disease
- Examples: diptheria, tetanus toxoid
- Toxoid comes from the bacteria and the immune system builds up a response to that toxin
- Typically needs a booster
Recombinant
Contains partial viral subunits or bacterial proteins that are generated in a lab using biotechnology
- Example: heptatis B vaccine
Common adverse effects of vaccinations
Discomfort and redness at site, aches, fever
Contrainidcations of vaccines
- Illness
- Immune system is already working hard to build antibodies and will not be able to make additional antibodies for influenza
- Need to be fever free for 24 hours
- Pregnancy (depends on vaccination)
- Immunocompromised clients should not receive live vaccines
- Includes patients receiving systemic steroids (not able to build up antibody response)
- Bone marrow transplants after they are destabilized typically need to get re-immunized afterward
Biologic Response Modifiers
- Cytokines secreted in response to antigens
- Chemical mediators
- Associated with immflammation and wound healing
- Stimulate (boost) the immune system to work more effectively
- Can be produced in lab by recombinant DNA technology
- Used to treat viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancers
- Targer response to a specific piece of the immune system (less systemic)
- Examples:
- Interferons
- Interleukins
- BCG (vaccine to treat certain types of bladder cancer)
- Granulyte Colony Stimulating Factors/filgrastim (stimulates WBC production)
Interferons
- Are cytokines that have been infected with a virus
- they attach to uninfected cells and signal them to secrete antiviral proteins
- “Interfere” with the ability of viral infections to spread; enhance activity of leukocytes (immune system)
- Antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory properties
- Associated with serious adverse effects: depression, suicidal ideation, psychosis, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary/hepatic/renal impairments, and more
Therapeutic class of Interferon alfa-2b
Immunostimulant
Pharmacologic class of Interferon alfa-2b
Interferon, biologic response modifier
Indications of Interferon alfa-2b
Certain cancers (hair cell leukemia, melanoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, Kaposi’s sarcoma), viral infections (HPV, chronic hepatitis B and C)
MOA of Interferon alfa-2b
Suppresses cell proliferation, enhances phagocytic activity, augments cytotoxicity of lymphocytes for target cells, inhibits virus replication
Adverse effects of Interferon alfa-2b
Flu-like symptoms ver common (diminish over time), depression, suicidal ideation, hepatoxicity, pancytopenia (decreased WBC, RBC, platelets)
Black box warning for Interferon alfa-2b
May cause or aggravate life-threatening neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, ischemia, and infectious disorders
Discontinue if persistent severe or worsening signs or symptoms
Nursing implications for Interferon alfa-2b
Give at night, typically orally or parenterally (enhance tolerability), may pre-medicate with acetaminophen, educate clients about adverse effects (both physical and psychological), avoid concurrent use with other sedating medications
Monitor liver functions
Monitor CBC results - pancytopenia
If taking antidepressants with this, it increases the likelihood of depression/suicidal thoughts
Interleukins
- Interleukins are cytokines secreted by lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages
- Play an important role in immune cell differentiation and activation
- Interleukins can have pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects
- IL-2 (Proleukin) used for metastic renal carcinoma
- IL-I I (Neumega) stimulates platelet production
- Patients are typically premedicated
- Often have allergic symptoms
Immunosuppressants
- Suppress the immune system by affecting lymphocyte function
- used to prevent rejection after organ/bone marrow transplant and for treatment of severe autoimmune diseases (body creates antibodies against its own cells; rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, thyroiditis)
- Puts client at risk for serious infections (opportunistic infections)
- May require prophylactic therapy with anti-infectives
- Incrase the risk of developing cancer
- Immune system identifies cancer, when suppressing the immune system, it can no longer due this
- Typically a combination of immunosuppressants is used to prevent transplant rejection
- Examples:
- Corticosteroids
- Antimetabolites
- Calcineurin inhibitors
- Monoclonal antibodies
Nursing implications for immunosuppressants
- Be aware that these drugs have specific instructions for administration and monitoring of drug levels
- May need to be administered with a certain type of juice, not able to be given through certain lines, etc.
- Monitor for signs of infection (susceptible to infections that a healthy immune system would normally fight off)
- Often do not show typical signs/symptoms of infection
- Watch for fever; may not have redness, pus (because there are no white blood cells to produce it)
- May have a low temperature
- Monitor for adverse effects (neurological changes, renal impariment, abnormal lab values, etc.)
- Hypertension
- Client education: stress importance of regular visits with provider
Immunosuppressants: corticosteroids
- Often used for short term therapy/exacerbations
- Acute reaction
- Examples: prednisone, methylprednisolone
Immunosuppressant: antimetabolites
- Inhibits T-lymphocyte activation and proliferation
- Examples: sirolimus, azathroprine
Immunosuppressants: calcineurin inhibitors
- Thought to inhibit T-lymphocyte activation and proliferation
- Post transplant
- Examples: cyclosporine, tacrolimus
Immunosuppressants: monoclonal antibodies
- Attack specific targets (T cell receptors)
- Fast acting
- Examples: basiliximab, daclizumab, infliximab
Connie Culp
- Most notable full face transplant recipient in the IS
- She survived a shotgun blast to the face
- Received face transplant surgery at the CC in 2008
- A lot of preparation to prepare the face for the transplant
- Many patients say it is worth the risks
Lindsey McFarland
- Received the frist uterus transplant in the US at the CC in 2016
- Unfortunately, the transplant failed shortly afterwards due to fungal infection
- She already had children and put herself at risk to recieve the uterus
- They will take the uterus out after they give birth (up to 2 times) to reduce the risks
Hematopoietic Growth Factors
Hormones that stimulate some aspect of blood formation:
- Epoetin alfa (Epogen) stimulates RBCs
- HTN, risk for CV event
- Dialysis patients (may only be with treatments)
- Filgrastim (Neupogen) stimulates neutrophils (WBCs)
- Bone pain, flu-like symptoms
- Oprelvekin (Neumega) stimulates platelet production
- Fluid retention, visual changes
- Not used as frequently
Treating Anemia
- cynocobalamin (B12)
- Pernicious anemia, strict vegetarians
- Folic acid
- Insufficient dietary intake, ETOH abuse
- Pregnancy - deficiency causes neural tube defects
- Ferrous sulfate
- Iron deficiency is the most common type of anemia
- Vegetarians are at risk, GI bleeds
- Vitamin C enhances absorption
Batericidal
Kills bacteria
Bacteriostatic
Slows the growth of bacteria, allowing the body’s natural defences to eliminate the organism
Antibiotic Resistance
Mutations that develop during bacterial cell growth may increase its ability to survive in harsher conditions (superbugs)
Antibiotics used to cure the bacterial infection are ineffective
Examples of antibiotic resistant bacteria
- MRSA: methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus
- VRE: vancomycin resistant enterococcus
- CRE: carbapenem resistant enterobacteriaceae
Antibiograms
An antibiogram is generated by a hospital or healthcare system and summaraizes antibiotic susceptibility of specific organisms
This helps providers choose appropriate antibiotic therapy and monitor trends in resistance
Chemical Classification of Antibiotics
- Penicillins
- Cephalosporins
- Tetracyclines
- Macrolides
- Aminoglycosides
- Fluroquinolones
- Sulfonamides
- Others
Penicillins (PCN)
- Batericidal - disrupt cell wall synthesis
- Beta lactam ring is responsible for antibacterial activity
- Pretty safe drug (wide range of toxicity)
- Many bacteria have become resistant to it
- Certain bacteria produce an enzyme that splits the ring (beta lactamase/penicillinase), rendering the penicillin ineffective
- Certain penicillins or drug combinations inhibit the beta lacatamase enzyme, protecting them from destruction, making the penicillin more effective
- Examples: amoxicillin, ampicillin, nafcillin, oxacillin
Drug classes that suffer the issue of the beta lactamase enzyme
- Penicillins
- Carbapenem
- Cephalosporins
- Monobactams
Therpeutic class of penicillin G potassium
Antibacterial
Pharmacologic class of penicillin G potassium
cell wall inhibitor/penicillin
Indications of penicillin G potassium
Streptococcus, pneumococcus, and staphylococcus; gonorrhea, syphilis
MOA of penicillin G potassium
Inhibits cell wall synthesis, having bactericidal effect
Adverse effects of penicillin G potassium
Diarrhea, N/V, anaphylaxis (low incidence), superinfection, pain at injection site
Nursing implications of penicillin G potassium
Can be given IM or IV (penicilin V is given PO), may decrase the effectiveness of oral contraceptives
Observe client for 20 minutes after giving IM
Allergy to one penicillin increases the risk of allergy to other penicillins
May have cross sensitiivty with cephalosporins (1-7%)
Often kills natural flora and can cause increased risk of additional infections
Cephalosporins
- Largest class of antibiotics
- Bactericidal - disrupt cell wall synthesis
- Contain beta lactam ring
- 5 generations of cephalosporins
- Differ in susceptibility patterns and resistance to beta lactamases
- Examples: cefazolin, cephalexin, cefuroxime, cefepime, ceftaroline, ceftriaxone
Therapeutic class of cefotaxime
Antibacterial
Pharmacologic class of cefotaxime
Cell wall inhibitor/3rd generation cephalosporin
Indications of cefotaxime
Serious infection (respiratory, urinary, CNS, skin, bones, blood)
MOA of cefotaxime
Contain a beta-lactam ring that is responsible for their antimicrobial activity; act by attaching to penicillin-binding proteins to inhibit bacterial wall synthesis
Adverse effects of cefotaxime
Diarrhea, N/V, anaphylaxis (low incidence), superinfection, pain at the injection site