Treatments (Drugs)

Question 1

What class of drugs is penicillin?

Answer 1

Beta lactam

Question 2

What do Beta lactams do?

Answer 2

Inhibit cell wall synthesis, by binding to penicillin binding proteins and preventing the cross linking of peptidoglycans

Question 3

Against what organisms is penicillin most effective?

Answer 3

Gram positive bacteria (mainly strep)

Question 4

Give an example of something you might use penicillin to treat and name the organism you are targeting? (Hint: throat)

Answer 4

Tonsillitis

Targeting streptococcus pyogenes

Question 5

What type of antibiotic class is Flucloxacillin?

Answer 5

Beta lactam

Question 6

Against which organisms is flucloxacillin most active?

Answer 6

Staph and strep

Gram positive bacteria

Question 7

Give an example of an infection that you would treat with flucloxacillin, name the specific organism targeted? (Hint: skin)

Answer 7

Cellulitis

Staph Aureus

Question 8

What class of antibiotics is cefuroxime?

Answer 8

2nd generation cephalosporin which is a beta lactam

Question 9

Aside from cefuroxime, give an example of a cephalosporin and state the infection it can treat

Answer 9

Ceftriaxone

Meningitis

Question 10

When is cefuroxime used?

Answer 10

When there is need of a broad spectrum drug

Question 11

What class of antibiotic is vancomycin?

Answer 11

Glycopeptide

Question 12

What is the action of glycopeptide antibiotics?

Answer 12

inhibit the synthesis of cell walls in susceptible microbes by inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis

Question 13

What is vancomycin a good replacement for?

Answer 13

Penicillins in the case of allergies

Question 14

Why can vancomycin be used as a replacement for penicillins?

Answer 14

Becuase it has a similar action and is active against the same organism (gram positive- staph and streps)

Question 15

What is the action of trimethoprim?

Answer 15

Inhibits folic acid synthesis

Question 16

Give an example of an infection that trimethoprim can be used for, name the usual causative organism.

Answer 16

UTI

E.coli

Question 17

What is the action of metronidazole?

Answer 17

Inhibits nucleic acid synthesis

Question 18

Against which two types of organisms is metronidazole most effective? Give examples

Answer 18

Anaerobic bacteria ie C.diff

Protozoa ie amoebae, giardia, trichomonas

Question 19

What type of organism can acyclovir target?

Answer 19

Viruses

Question 20

How does acyclovir work?

Answer 20

Inhibits the action of viral DNA polymerase

Question 21

List some infections that can be treated with acyclovir?

Answer 21

Genital herpes
Chicken pox
Shingles
Encephalitis

Question 22

What is the action/point of ARVs (antiretrovirals)? What might you use them for?

Answer 22

They can be used to treat HIV

There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle

Question 23

What antimalarial drug would you use to treat plasmodium falciparum?

Answer 23

Artesunate

Quinine and doxycycline

Question 24

What antimalarial drugs would you use to treat plasmodium ovale, vivax and malariae?

Answer 24

Chloroquine and primaquine

Question 25

What screen must be done when treating plasmodium vivax/ovale/malariae? Which antimalarial calls for this?

Answer 25

G6PD screen, to ensure no G6PD deficiency (can cause haemolysis in the presence of primaquine)

Primaquine