Anti-infectives and Biologicals Pharmacology Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering pharmacology topics including antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, antiprotozoals, anthelmintics, vaccines, and immune sera based on the provided lecture slides.

Bacilli

Elongated or rod-shaped bacteria.

Cocci

Spherical bacteria; when appearing in clusters they are called staphylococci, and when arranged in chains they are called streptococci.

Gram-Positive Bacteria

Bacteria whose cell wall retains a stain or resists decolorization with alcohol; typically more sensitive to antibiotic treatments.

Antiseptic

Substances that are applied to parts of the body to inhibit infection.

Disinfectant

Substances applied to non-living objects to inhibit or destroy microorganisms.

Bacteriostatic Drugs

Drugs that inhibit the growth of bacteria rather than directly killing them.

Bactericidal Drugs

Drugs that directly kill bacteria.

Superinfection

Secondary infection occurring when normal flora is killed by antibacterial drugs, commonly affecting the mouth, skin, respiratory tract, genitourinary tract, or intestines.

Narrow Spectrum Antibacterials

Antibiotics primarily effective against one type of bacteria, such as penicillin or erythromycin.

Broad Spectrum Antibacterials

Antibiotics effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms, such as tetracyclines and cephalosporins.

Fomites

Non-living objects that carry or hold disease-causing pathogens.

Vector

A living organism that delivers or transmits a disease.

Goal of Antibiotic Therapy

To decrease the population of invading bacteria to a point at which the human inflammatory/immune system can effectively deal with the pathogen.

Beta-Lactamase

An enzyme produced by resistant bacteria that breaks the beta-lactam ring of penicillins and cephalosporins, turning them into inactive metabolites.

Beta-Lactamase Inhibitors

Adjunct agents with no antimicrobial properties on their own that are combined with beta-lactam antibiotics to protect them from bacterial enzymatic degradation.

Augmentin

A combination antibacterial drug consisting of amoxicillin and the beta-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid.

Zosyn

A potent combination antibacterial drug consisting of piperacillin and the beta-lactamase inhibitor tazobactam.

Macrolides

A class of broad-spectrum antibiotics (azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin) that bind to 50S ribosomal subunits and inhibit bacterial protein synthesis.

Aminoglycosides

Bactericidal antibiotics (gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin) used for serious aerobic gram-negative bacilli infections that require peak/trough monitoring due to nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity risks.

Fluoroquinolones

Synthetic bactericidal antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin) that interfere with bacterial DNA enzymes; notable for risks of tendinitis and spontaneous Achilles tendon rupture.

Sulfonamides

Bacteriostatic drugs (such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) that block para-aminobenzoic acid to inhibit folic acid synthesis in susceptible bacteria.

Tetracyclines Adverse Effects

Adverse reactions associated with tetracycline therapy, including GI distress, skeletal effects, superinfections, and permanent discoloration of teeth in children under 8 years.

Red Man Syndrome

A toxic (non-allergic) reaction caused by overly rapid intravenous administration of vancomycin, presenting with severe hypotension and red blotching of the face, neck, chest, and extremities.

Reverse Transcriptase

An HIV enzyme that allows the virus to make a copy of its DNA by reading backward from viral RNA.

Integrase

An HIV enzyme that allows newly created viral DNA to be integrated into the host cell's DNA.

Protease

An HIV enzyme responsible for cutting long chains of viral polyproteins into specific, functional, infectious molecules.

Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS)

An inflammatory response to specific opportunistic pathogens occurring in HIV patients upon initiating or changing antiretroviral therapy, categorized as paradoxical or unmasking.

HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis (PEP)

An antiretroviral therapy regimen that should be initiated within 72 hours of exposure to HIV and continued for 4 weeks.

Fluconazole

A prototype azole antifungal that binds to sterols in fungal cell membranes to alter permeability; indicated for candidiasis and cryptococcal meningitis.

Amphotericin B

A polyene antifungal drug used for severe, systemic fungal infections that binds cell membranes causing leakage; requires pretreatment with acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, and hydrocortisone.

Plasmodium falciparum

The most dangerous species of protozoan parasite responsible for malaria in humans.

Metronidazole

An antiprotozoal agent used for amebiasis, trichomoniasis, and giardiasis; strict avoidance of alcohol is mandatory during treatment.

Nematodes

Roundworms that infect humans, encompassing pinworms, whipworms, threadworms, Ascaris, and hookworms.

Platyhelminths

Flatworms that infect humans, divided into cestodes (tapeworms) and schistosomes (flukes).

Mebendazole

The most commonly used anthelmintic for pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms; available in chewable tablets for children and acts by preventing cellular use of glucose.

Active Immunity

Long-term immunity produced when the human body recognizes a foreign protein and generates its own specific antibodies against it.

Passive Immunity

Temporary immunity provided by receiving preformed antibodies, either naturally across the placenta/breast milk or artificially via immune sera injections.

Immune Sera

Biological preparations containing preformed antibodies used to provide rapid, short-acting passive immunity following specific pathogen, toxin, or venom exposures.

Sites of Action of Anthelmintic Drugs

Cellular sites targeted by anthelmintic agents, such as pyrantel (paralysis), albendazole (tubule formation), mebendazole (glucose uptake), ivermectin (calcium channels), and praziquantel (membrane permeability).

Sites of Action of Biologicals

Target pathways in the immune response where vaccines act (B cells and memory cell formation) versus where immune sera, antitoxins, and antivenins act (antibody formation and antigen-antibody complexes).