Treatment of infection: Part 2 Flashcards
What is the acronym AIDS mean?
Acquired ImmunoDeficiency syndrome
What is the acronym HIV mean?
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
What does HIV attack?
It is a retrovirus that attacks T4 lymphocytes
What does the loss of lymphocytes cause?
It impairs immune function allowing for opportunistic infections to happen (impairs our ability to fight infection)
What are anti-HIV drugs? (4)
They are:
- reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs)
- protease inhibitors
- HIV entry inhibitors
- integrase inhibitors
What is the main action of the reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs)?
prevent conversion of viral RNA to viral DNA (reverse transcription)
What are the 2 agents of RTIs?
1) nucleoside RTIs
2) non-nucleoside RTIs
What do the nucleoside RTIs do?
act as “false substrate”
What do the non-nucleoside RTIs do?
block active site on reverse transcriptase
Does nucleoside RTIs act direct or indirect?
Indirect
Does non-nucleoside RTIs act direct or indirect?
direct
True/False:
HIV protease is a key enzyme in the final steps of HIV synthesis
True
What do protease inhibitors do?
They mimic viral components and block protease function
What do the HIV entry inhibitors do?
They impair the ability of HIV to fuse with and enter host lymphocytes
What do the integrase inhibitors do?
inhibit HIV integrase, which is an enzyme that splices viral DNA into host cell DNA
What are the 6 adverse side effects of anti-HIV drugs?
1) myopathy
2) neuropathy
3) lipodystrophy syndrome
4) blood dyscrasias
5) GI distress
6) immune reactions
What drugs are associated with myopathy and neuropathy?
RTIs, integrase inhibitors
What drugs are associated with lipodystrophy syndrome?
protease inhibitors, integrase inhibitors
What is the current strategy with anti-HIV drugs?
combination strategies of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
What drugs are the most combined?
2 nucleoside RTIs and 1 non-nucleoside RTI
True/False:
Other drugs are added or substituted to maintain antiviral effects and avoid developing resistance
True
Other common medications in AIDS are…
treatment of opportunistic infections and treatment of cancers:
- antibacterials
- antivirals
- interferons
True/False:
AIDS is notorious for mutating often
True
What is another term for fungal infections?
Mycosis
Are infections often superficial or local?
They are both, not at the same time…both are just as common
When do systemic mycoses very serious?
they are very serious in all people (duh) but worse in those that are immunocompromised
What is the most common antifungal drug?
Imidazoles
What do Imidazoles do?
They inhibit enzymes that synthesize membrane components of the fungi
True/False:
Local drugs are never used for a systemic infection because it can be toxic
True
What may other antifungal drugs do?
Generally impair membrane integrity or biochemistry of fungal cells
What are the adverse side effects of the topical-local antifungal drugs?
- few serious side effects
- excessive use may cause resistance
What are the adverse side effects of the systemic antifungal drugs?
- headache
- GI problems
- hepatotoxicity
- blood dyscrasias
