Antibacterial Drugs and Their Mechanisms

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts surrounding antibacterial drugs and their mechanisms of action, side effects, and uses.

Penicillin

An antibacterial drug derived from penicillium mold, inhibiting bacterial cell-wall synthesis, leading to bacterial death.

Macrolide Antibiotics

Broad-spectrum antibiotics that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit.

Bacteriostatic

Refers to antibiotics that inhibit bacterial growth.

Bactericidal

Refers to antibiotics that kill bacteria.

Common uses of Macrolides

Used to treat respiratory infections, skin infections, gastrointestinal infections, STIs, and diphtheria.

Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD)

A severe form of diarrhea associated with antibiotic use, particularly Macrolides.

Oxazolidinones

Antibiotics that block protein production in bacteria, effective against severe gram-positive infections like MRSA.

Linezolid

An example of an oxazolidinone antibiotic used to treat severe bacterial infections.

Vancomycin

A glycopeptide antibiotic used to treat MRSA and other serious gram-positive infections.

Sulfonamides

Synthetic antibacterial drugs that inhibit bacterial folic acid synthesis, effective against various bacterial infections.

Lincosamides

Antibiotics like clindamycin, which block bacterial protein synthesis and can cause severe side effects.

Aminoglycosides

A group of antibiotics that work by inhibiting protein synthesis in bacteria.

Hepatotoxicity

Liver damage that can occur with certain antibiotics, notably macrolides and some others.

Antitubercular drugs

Medications used to treat tuberculosis, effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Interferons

Proteins that boost the immune system and have antiviral effects, used in cancer and viral infections.

Colony-Stimulating Factors (CSFs)

Proteins that stimulate bone marrow to produce more blood cells, important in cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy

The use of anti-cancer drugs to treat tumors, targeting both cancerous and normal cells.

Antifungals

Drugs used to treat fungal infections, classified as fungistatic or fungicidal.

Antimalarials

Drugs used to treat and prevent malaria, often in combination for better efficacy.