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Lecture 11. Antimicrobial Drugs. Antimicrobial Drugs. Chemicals used to treat microbial infections Before antimicrobials, large number of people died from common illnesses Now many illnesses easily treated with antimicrobials However, many antimicrobial drugs are becoming less useful.
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Lecture 11 Antimicrobial Drugs
Antimicrobial Drugs • Chemicals used to treat microbial infections • Before antimicrobials, large number of people died from common illnesses • Now many illnesses easily treated with antimicrobials • However, many antimicrobial drugs are becoming less useful
Antimicrobial Drugs • Chemotherapeutic agent= • Antimicrobial drug= • Different types of antimicrobial drugs: • Antibacterial drugs • Antifungal drugs • Antiprotozoan drugs • Antihelminthic drugs
Paul Ehrlich • He observed that certain dyes stain bacterial cells and not animal cells • Theorized that there could be a dye or chemical that would harm bacterial cells but not human cells • Systematic search for chemical to cure syphilis • 606th compound tested proved to be highly effective in treating laboratory animals
Gerhard Domagk • Discovered red dye, Prontosil effective in treating Streococcal infections in animals • No effect in test tubes • Enzymes in animals blood split Prontosil molecule into sulfanilamide- this acted against streptococcal • Sulfa Drug
Alexander Fleming • Working on cultures of Staphylococcus • Contamination with mold • Noticed colonies growing near mold looked odd • Found that mold was secreting substance that was killing bacteria
Features of Antimicrobial Drugs • Most modern antibiotics come from species of microorganisms that live in the soil • To commercially produce antibiotic: • Select strain and grow in broth • When maximum antibiotic concentration reached, extract from medium • Purify • Chemical alter to make it more stable
Features of Antimicrobial Drugs:Selective Toxicity • Cause greater harm to microorganisms than to host • Chemotherapeutic index= lowest dose toxic to patient divided by dose typically used for therapy
Features of Antimicrobial Drugs: Antimicrobial Action • Bacteriostatic: inhibit growth of microorganisms • Bactericidal: Kill microorganisms
Features of Antimicrobial Drugs:Spectrum of Activity • Antimicrobial medications vary with respect to the range of microorganisms they kill or inhibit • Some kill only limited range : Narrow-spectrum antimicrobial • While others kill wide range of microorganisms: Broad-spectrum antimicrobial
Features of Antimicrobial Drugs:Effects of Combining Drugs • Combinations are sometimes used to fight infections • Synergistic: action of one drug enhances the activity of another • Antagonistic: activity of one drug interferes with the action of another
Features of Antimicrobial Drugs:Adverse Effects • Allergic Reactions: some people develop hypersensitivities to antimicrobials • Toxic Effects: some antimicrobials toxic at high concentrations or cause adverse effects • Suppression of normal flora: when normal flora killed, other pathogens may be able to grow to high numbers
Features of Antimicrobial Drugs:Resistance to Antimicrobials • Some microorganisms inherently resistant to effects of a particular drug • Other previously sensitive microorganisms can develop resistance through spontaneous mutations or acquisition of new genes
Mechanisms of action of Antibacterial Drugs • Inhibit cell wall synthesis • Inhibit protein synthesis • Inhibit nucleic acid synthesis • Injury to plasma membrane • Inhibit synthesis of essential metabolites
b-Lactam Drugs- inhibit cell wall synthesis • Irreversibly inhibit enzymes involved in the final steps of cell wall synthesis • These enzymes mediate formation of peptide bridges between adjacent stands of peptidoglycan • b-lactam ring similar in structure to normal substrate of enzyme • Drug binds to enzyme, competitively inhibit enzymatic activity
b-Lactam Drugs • Some bacteria produce b-lactamase- enzyme that breaks the critical b-lactam ring • b-lactam drugs include: penicillins and cephalosporins
Antibacterial medications that inhibit protein synthesis • Target ribosomes of bacteria • Aminoglycosides: bind to 30S subunit causing it to distort and malfunction; blocks initiation of translation • Tetracyclines: bind to 30S subunit blocking attachment of tRNA • Macrolides: bind 50S subunit and prevents continuation of protein synthesis
Antibacterial medications that inhibit nucleic acid synthesis • Target enzymes required for nucleic acid synthesis • Fluoroquinolones: inhibit enzymes that maintain the supercoiling of closed circular DNA • Rifamycins: block prokaryotic RNA polymerase from initiating transcription
Antibacterial medications injure plasma membrane • Polymyxin B: binds to membrane of G- bacteria and alters permeability • This leads to leakage of cellular contents and cell death • These drugs also bind to eukaryotic cells to some extent, which limits their use to topical applications
Antibacterial drugs that inhibit synthesis of essential metabolites • Competitive inhibition by substance that resembles normal substrate of enzyme • Sulfa drugs
Antiviral Drugs • Very few antiviral drugs approved for use in US • Effective against a very limited group of diseases • Targets for antiviral drugs are various points of viral reproduction
Nucleoside and Nucleotide analogs • Acyclovir- used to treat genital herpes • Cidofovir- used for treatment of cytomegaloviral infections of the eye • Lamivudine- used to treat Hepatitus B
Antiretrovirals • Currently implies, a drug used to treat HIV • Tenofovir- nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor • Zidovudine- nucleoside analog
Other enzyme inhibitors • Zanamivir (Relenza) and Oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu)- inhibitors of the enzyme neuominidase • Used to treat influenza • Indinavir- protease inhibitors
Interferons • Cells infected by a virus often produce interferon, which inhibits further spread of the infection • Alpha-interferon- drug for treatment of viral hepatitis infections
Antifungal drugs • More difficult to find point of selective toxicity in eukaryotes than in prokaryotes • Targets of antifungal drugs: • Agents affecting fungal sterols • Agents affecting fungal cell walls • Agents inhibiting nucleic acids
Agents affecting fungal sterols • Many antifungals target the sterols in the plasma membrane • Polyenes- used in systemic fungal infections, very toxic to kidneys • Azoles- used for athlete’s foot and vaginal yeast infections (miconizole)
Agents affecting fungal cell walls • primary target of selective toxicity is β-glucan • Inhibition of synthesis of this glucan results in an incomplete cell wall, and results in lysis of the cell • Caspofungin- first new class of antifungals in 40 years
Agents inhibiting nucleic acids • Flucytin- nucleotide analog of cytosine, interferes with the biosynthesis of RNA, and therefore protein synthesis
Antiprotozoan drugs • Quinine still used to control malaria • Chloroquinone- synthetic derivative has largely replaced it • Mefloquinone- used in areas where resistance to chloroquinone has developed • Quinacrine- drug of choice for treating protozoan disease, giardiasis
Antihelminthic drugs • Praziquantel- used in treatment of tapeworms; kills worms by altering permeability of plasma membranes
Kirby-Bauer method for determining drug susceptibility • Bacteria spread on surface of agar plate • 12 disks, each with different antimicrobial drug, placed on agar plate • Incubated- drugs diffuse outward and kill susceptible bacteria • Zone of inhibition around each disk • Compare size of zone to chart
Resistance to antimicrobial drugs • Drug resistance limits use of ALL known antimicrobials • Penicillin G: first introduced, only 3% of bacteria resistant • Now, over 90% are resistant
How do bacteria become resistant? • Spontaneous Mutation: happen as cells replicate • Gene Transfer: Usually spread through conjugative transfer of R plasmid
Slowing the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance • Responsibilities of Physicians: must work to identify microbe and prescribe suitable antimicrobials, must educate patients • Responsibilities of Patients: need to carefully follow instructions
Slowing the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance 3.Educate Public: must understand appropriateness and limitations of antibiotics; antibiotics not effective against viruses 4.Global Impacts: organism that is resistant can quickly travel to another country - in some countries antibiotics available on non-prescription basis - antibiotics fed to animals can select for drug- resistant organisms
New Approaches to Antibiotic Therapy Are Needed • Scientists work to find new antibiotic targets in pathogens • Discovery of new and unique antibiotics is necessary