Drugs for Tuberculosis, Fungal, and Parasitic Infections Vocabulary

Flashcards about drugs for Tuberculosis, Fungal, and Parasitic Infections.

Antibacterial

Antimicrobial drugs that kill or slow the reproduction of bacteria only; often used interchangeably with the term antibiotic.

Antifungal drug

Any drug used to treat a fungal infection; also called a fungicide or fungistatic drug.

Antimicrobial drug

A general term for any drug that kills or inhibits the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.

Antimicrobial resistance

The ability of an organism to resist the killing or growth-suppressing effects of anti-infective drugs.

Antitubercular

A drug or treatment that is effective against tuberculosis.

Fungi

A group of microorganisms that are everywhere in the environment and exist by absorbing nutrients from a host organism; includes yeasts and molds. A fungal infection is called a mycosis.

Helminths

Parasitic worms.

Parasite

An organism that lives on or in a human and relies on the human for its food and other functions.

Tuberculosis (TB)

A common lung infection found in the United States and around the world, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Slow-growing aerobic bacteria that causes Tuberculosis (TB).

Granuloma

A collection of macrophages that walls off the bacteria to stop its growth.

Latent or inactive TB

A person who has acquired the TB infection but has no disease symptoms.

Secondary TB

Can develop at a later time from latent/inactive TB if a patient becomes immunocompromised.

Aminoglycosides

Aminoglycosides weaken bacteria by limiting the production of protein by binding to the ribosomes, which are vital for protein synthesis and life.

Isoniazid (INH)

Inhibits the enzymes of the TB organism that are needed for reproduction and growth; a bactericidal drug.

Rifapentine and Rifampin

Inhibits a TB enzyme that is needed for making DNA and proteins; effective in preventing reproduction of the TB organism in infected tissues and in macrophages and TB granulomas.

Pyrazinamide

Appears to work by making the pH of infected cells lower (more acidic) than what the TB organism needs to reproduce and grow.

Ethambutol

Interferes with RNA and protein synthesis in the TB organism, which reduces bacterial reproduction; bacteriostatic and always used in combination with other drugs.

Moxifloxacin

A fluoroquinolone antibiotic that works by interfering with an enzyme essential for replication and repair of bacterial DNA.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB

TB that is resistant to at least two of the first-line drugs

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB)

Rare TB, resistant to isoniazid, rifampin, any fluoroquinolone, and at least one of the three injectable second-line drugs: amikacin, kanamycin, and capreomycin.

Rifapentine (RPT)

Inhibits the ability of the TB bacteria to reproduce and causes cell death.

Moxifloxacin (MOX)

A fluoroquinolone antibiotic (see Chapter 5) that is bactericidal by inhibiting DNA synthesis.

Isoniazid (INH)

Kills mycobacteria actively growing outside the cell and inhibits the growth of dormant bacteria inside macrophages and granulomas.

Rifampin (RIF)

Kills slower-growing organisms, even those that reside inside macrophages and granulomas.

Pyrazinamide (PZA)

Kills organisms residing within the very acidic environment of macrophages, which is where the tubercle bacillus isolates itself. This drug is used in combination with other anti-TB drugs.

Ethambutol

Inhibits bacterial RNA synthesis, suppressing bacterial growth. It is slow acting, and because it is bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal, it must be used in combination with other anti-TB drugs.