Antimicrobial drugs flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the discovery, classification, mechanisms of action, and clinical uses of antimicrobial drugs based on the lecture notes.

Chemotherapy

The use of drugs to target specific cells, tissues, or infectious microorganisms, including cancerous cells and pathogens.

Paul Ehrlich

A researcher influential in the discovery of Compound 606, an antimicrobial agent that effectively treated syphilis.

Alexander Fleming

The first person to discover a naturally produced antimicrobial, penicillin, in 1928.

Howard Florey and Ernst Chain

Researchers who figured out how to scale up penicillin production and purify it for human and animal trials in the early 1940s.

Bacteriostatic

A type of antibacterial drug action that causes reversible inhibition of bacterial growth, which can restart once the drug is eliminated.

Bactericidal

A type of antibacterial drug action that kills the target bacteria.

Superinfection

A secondary infection that may develop as a result of using broad-spectrum antimicrobials.

$\beta$-lactams

A class of antibacterials, including penicillins and cephalosporins, that contain a specific ring and inhibit cell wall biosynthesis by targeting Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs).

Vancomycin

A natural glycopeptide that binds to the peptide chain of peptidoglycan subunits to block transglycosylation and transpeptidation in gram-positive bacteria.

Aminoglycosides

Bactericidal drugs (e.g., streptomycin) that bind to the $30S$ ribosomal subunit and impair proofreading, causing the production of faulty proteins.

Tetracyclines

Bacteriostatic drugs that bind to the $30S$ ribosomal subunit and block the binding of tRNAs, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis.

Macrolides

A class of bacteriostatic drugs (e.g., erythromycin) that bind to the $50S$ ribosomal subunit and block peptide bond formation.

Polymyxins

Narrow-spectrum drugs against gram-negative bacteria that interact with lipopolysaccharide to disrupt the outer and cytoplasmic membranes.

Fluoroquinolones

Broad-spectrum drugs (e.g., ciprofloxacin) that inhibit the activity of DNA gyrase to block DNA replication.

Antimetabolites

Drugs like sulfonamides and trimethoprim that interfere with bacterial folic acid synthesis by blocking purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis.

Isoniazid

A drug that interferes with the synthesis of mycolic acid, narrowing its spectrum to Mycobacterium spp. such as M. tuberculosis.

Ergosterol

The predominant sterol found in fungal cell membranes, serving as a primary target for antifungal drug development.

Polyenes

Antifungal drugs (e.g., nystatin, amphotericin B) that bind ergosterol in the cell membrane to create pores that disrupt the membrane.

Atovaquone

An antiprotozoan drug that inhibits electron transport in mitochondria, used to treat malaria, babesiosis, and toxoplasmosis.

Ivermectin

An antihelminthic drug in the avermectin class that blocks neuronal transmission, leading to paralysis and starvation of the parasite.

Acyclovir

An antiviral drug used for herpes virus infections that acts as a nucleoside analog to inhibit nucleic acid synthesis.