Antimicrobial
Definition of Antimicrobial drugs
Compounds used to treat or prevent infections primarily of the body.
Definition of Spectrum of action
The range of microorganisms that a particular drug, like an antibiotic, can affect.
What is the percent of nosocomial pathogens are resistant to at least one drug?
70%
What is the main fear, when prescribing antibiotics too frequently?
That these bacterial infections will build up a resistance to the antibiotic, and then it has a chance of not working as well as before.
Who discovered penicillin and when?
Alexander Fleming 1928.
What do all antimicrobial drugs possess?
Selective toxicity- more toxic to an infecting microbe than they are to the host when used at recommended dosages.
Broad spectrum vs Narrow Spectrum
Broad spectrum- It can target a wide variety of bacteria.
Narrow spectrum- It only affects a limited group of specific bacterium types.
What are the two ways enzymes are used in drugs?
They are used to either alter or degrade the infectious pathogen.
Alter- implies a more specific change to a molecule, not necessarily a complete breakdown
Degrade- the enzyme is actively breaking down the substance into smaller parts
Name the six ways we combat resistance.
Reduce use, Selective drugs, Combination therapy, Infection control measures, Vaccines, and Alternatives.
What do antiviral drugs target?
They target the biology of the virus.
What are the three types of antimicrobial drugs?
Natural- Compounds produced by living organisms
Synthetic- Compounds created in a laboratory through chemical synthesis.
Semi-synthetic- Chemically modified derivatives of natural antimicrobials.
What is the main difference between bacteriostatic and bactericidal?
The main difference between bacteriostatic and bactericidal is that bacteriostatic agents prevent bacteria from growing, while bactericidal agents kill bacteria.
What are efflux pumps?
Are proteins in cell membranes that transport unwanted substances out of cells.
What do vaccines do?
They mimic the primary adaptive immune response. You have a stronger, better, and faster immune response when pathogen is encountered.
What do we inhibit to treat fungal infections?
Mitosis, Cell wall, Plasma membrane.
Bonus (100): What component in the membrane is it inhibiting?
If you take an antibiotic, what will that antibiotic target?
It will target whatever harmful bacteria is causing the infection.
What are two mechanisms of action and what do they inhibit?
Target the cell wall to inhibit cell wall division. Target the ribosomes to inhibit protein synthesis.
What is the role of beta-lactamase enzyme in drug resistance?
To prevent antimicrobial resistance
What is the difference between attenuated vaccines and Inactivated vaccines?
Attenuated vaccines use a weakened form of a pathogen, while inactivated vaccines use a killed version of a pathogen.
Why is it hard to find drugs that work on protozoa?
Because they are eukaryotic, their cells are very similar to human cells.
What are the categories that antimicrobial drugs are divided into?
Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiprotozoal, and Antiviral agents
Where do our cells make folic acid?
Trick question, we cannot make folic acid, we must obtain it from our diets.
What are the three antibiotics used to alter a target and what do they do?
• Tetracycline- Mutation in 16S rRNA
• Methicillin- Mutation in penicillin binding proteins
• Trimethoprim- Mutations in dihydrofolate reductase
What is subunit/component vaccines and what are they?
A subunit/component type of vaccine is where only specific parts of a pathogen (like a sugar molecule or protein) are used to trigger an immune response, rather than the whole microorganism; this allows for a more targeted and potentially safer vaccination strategy. There are polysaccharide vaccines, conjugate vaccines, toxoid vaccines, and DNA vaccines
Why are the Beta-lactam rings so important to penicillin?
Because it is the core structural component that allows the antibiotic to bind to and inhibit bacterial enzymes called penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which are essential for bacterial cell wall synthesis