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Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy

p. 473-511

Introduction

p    Interaction between host, microbial pathogen, and antimicrobial agent (Fig 33.1)

Selective toxicity

p    Antimicrobial agent require selective toxicity

n    inhibits or kills microbial pathogen

n    Has little or no toxic effect on host

n    Targets site in pathogen is absent or different from host cell

 

p    Desirable features of ideal antimicrobial agents (Fig 33.3)

 

Discovery and design of antimicrobial drugs

p    Antimicrobial agents are:

n    Natural products

n    Semi-synthetic

n    Entirely synthetic

 

p    Discovered by:

n    Chance

n    Screening of soil microbes

n    Genomic approaches

n    Rational design of an antimicrobial agent (Fig 33.4)

 

Classification of antibacterial agents

p            3 ways:

           Bactericidal or bacteriostatic

           By target site (5 sites of action)

           Cell wall synthesis

           Protein synthesis

           Nucleic acid synthesis

           Metabolic pathways

           Cell membrane function

           By chemical structure

Resistance to antibacterial agents

p   Innate resistance

n   Lack susceptible target or impermeable to agents

p   Acquired resistance (fig 33.6)

n   Chromosomal mutation

n   Transmissible plasmids

n   Transposons

n   Integrons

 

Mechanisms of resistance

p           3 types

           Target site is altered

           Access to target site is altered

          Decreases drug reaching target site

 

           Destruction of antibacterial agent (drug inactivation)

          Involves enzymes

       Beta-lactamases
       Aminoglycosides-modifying enzymes
       Chloramphenicol acetyl transferases

 

Classes of antibacterial agents

            Inhibitors of cell wall synthesis

           Target is peptidoglycan

p        Synthesis of peptidoglycan (Fig. 33.10)

           Antibacterial agents:

          Beta-lactams

       Contain beta-lactam ring
       Inhibit cell wall synthesis by binding to penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) 
       Penicillin
n          Resistance:

p        Alteration in target site

§        MRSA – makes extra PBPs
§        Alteration in access to target site
§        Production of lactamase

            Glycopeptides

           Large molecules, do not penetrate Gram-negative cell wall well

           Bactericidal

           Vancomycin and teicoplanin

p        Active only against gram-positive bacteria

p        Use in cases of:

       resistance to beta-lactams (MRSA)
§        Allergic reactions to beta-lactams
§        Treatment of C. difficile

           Resistance

p        Intrinsic resistance

p        Acquired resistance

 

2. Inhibitors of protein synthesis

p           Selective toxicity

 

Fig. 33.16

             Aminoglycosides

            Binds to 30S subunit

          Causes misreading of mRNA codons

            Interferes with binding of fmet-tRNA to ribosome

          prevent formation of initiation complex

            Streptomycin, gentamycin

            Resistance

p         Alteration of 30S subunit

p         Alterations in cell wall permeability

p         Production of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes

             Tetracycline

            Bacteriostatic, broad spectrum

            penetrate cells readily

            binds to 30S subunit

          prevent aminoacyl tRNA from entering acceptor site

            Avoided in pregnancy and young children

p         Suppresses normal flora à overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens

p         Interference with bone development and stains teeth

p         Liver damage

   Chloramphenicol

           Affects 50S subunit

          blocks action of peptidyl transferase (prevents peptide bond formation)

           Systemic use is limited:

p         toxic effects – bone marrow suppressant

p        resistance (chloramphenicol acetyl transferases)

Macrolides

p   Erythromycin

n   Bacteriostatic

n   Effective against Gram-positive cocci, mycoplasmas, chlamydiae and rickettsiae

n   Uses

p  Treatment of atypical pneumonia; chlamydial infections

n   Binds to 50S subunit of ribosome

p  blocks translocation

n   Resistance:

p  genes encoded on plasmids for efflux

p  alteration in 50S subunit

 

3. Inhibitors of nucleic acids synthesis

             Quinolones

            Synthetic

            Interfere with replication of bacterial chromosome

          inhibit bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerases

            Nalidixic acid

             Rifamycins

            Rifampicin

p         blocks synthesis of mRNA

p         Crosses blood-brain barrier

p         Red – causes urine, sweat and saliva to turn orange

            Primary use

p         treatment of mycobacterial infections, prosthetic valve endocarditis

            Resistance:

p         chromosomal mutation à alteration in RNA polymerase target

             Antimetabolites affecting nucleic acid synthesis

            Produces metabolites for nucleic acid synthesis

            Sulfonamides

p         Structural analogs of PABA (Fig 33.29)

p         Competes with PABA for active site of dihydropteroate synthetase (Fig 33.30)

p         Acts against gram-negative bacteria

p         Used in treatment of urinary tract infections        

p         Resistance is widespread

       Due to plasmid-encoded altered dihydropteroate synthetase

            Trimethroprim

p         Structural analog of aminohydroxypyrimidine moiety of folic acid

p         Used in combination with sulfamethoxazole to treat urinary tract infections

p         Resistance

        Due to plasmid-encoded altered dihydrofolate reductases

 

4. Inhibitors of cytoplasmic membrane function

            Polymyxins

           Bactericidal

           Disrupts phospholipid structure of cell membrane

           Active against Gram-negative bacteria

           Uses:

p        Primarily topical, highly toxic, not absorbed from gut

p        Gut decontamination

p        Wound irrigation

p        Bladder wash out

 

Antituberculous agents

M. tuberculosis

n           have waxy cell wall

n           Slow growth

p           Drugs used:

n           Isoniazid

n           Ethambutol

n           Rifampicin

n           Pyrazinamide

n           Streptomycin

p           Resistance:

n           combinations of drugs used

Antibacterial agents in practice

p    Susceptibility tests

n    Determine drug susceptibility of bacteria

n    Interactions between drugs

p    2 types

n    Diffusion tests

n    Dilution tests

 

Disk diffusion test

E test

Dilution test

p   Quantitative estimate of susceptibility

n   MIC – lowest concentration to inhibit growth of bacteria

n   MBC – lowest concentration required to kill bacteria

 

Antibacterial agent combinations

p   Drug interactions may be:

n   Synergistic

n   Antagonistic

 

p   Reasons for using drug combinations (fig 33.36)

 

Antiviral therapy

p   Fig 33.38

n   Antiviral drugs

p  few

p  narrow in spectrum

Fig 33.39 site of action of antiviral agents

Interaction between host, microbe and antimicrobial agents,