HTHRHSC 5510 - Chapter 25. Anti-Infective Drugs

Aminoglycosides

Drugs used in combination with other antibiotics that treat many infections caused by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

Anaphylaxis

Allergic hypersensitivity reaction of the body to a foreign substance or drug. Mild symptoms include rash, itching, and hives. Severe symptoms include dyspnea, chest constriction, cardiopulmonary collapse, and death.

Antiretroviral (ARV) agents

Agents that act against retroviruses such as HIV.

Antituberculosis agents

Medications used to treat asymptomatic infection and to treat active clinical tuberculosis and prevent relapse.

Antiviral agent

Medications used to treat viruses, for example, HIV and herpes.

Broad spectrum

Antibiotic effective against a large variety of organisms.

Carbapenems

A class of broad-spectrum antibiotic drugs, derived from cephalosporins, that resist degradation by bacterial beta-lactamases.

Cephalosporins

Semisynthetic antibiotic derivatives produced by a fungus.

Culture and sensitivity (C&S) tests

Performed by medical institutions to reveal what antibiotic class or specific antibiotic will be effective in treating a certain infective organism.

Direct toxicity

Drug that results in tissue damage; may or may not be permanent.

Empiric

Best-guess therapy based on history and available clinical information.

Macrolides

A class of drugs used in many infections of the respiratory tract, for skin conditions such as acne, or for some sexually transmitted infections when the patient is allergic to penicillin.

Opportunistic infections

Infections that occur because the immune system is compromised.

Penicillins

A class of antibiotics produced from certain species of a fungus.

Quinolones

A class of antibiotics used in adults for the treatment of some infections of the urinary tract, lower respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, skin, bones, and joints.

Resistance

An organism's lack of response to antibiotics when they are used too often or treatment is incomplete.

Shared Clinical Decision Making (SCDM)

A collaborative process where a patient and their healthcare provider work together to make treatment decisions.

Sulfonamides

A class of anti-infectives used in combination with other drugs to slow the development of resistance; used in the treatment of urinary tract infections, enteritis, and opportunistic infections of AIDS. Sulfonylureas. A class of oral medications used to treat type 2 diabetes by stimulating the pancreas to release insulin.

Superinfection

A new infection with different resistant bacteria or fungi. Usually associated with certain types of antibiotic therapy.

Tetracyclines

Broad-spectrum antibiotics used in the treatment of infections caused by rickettsia, chlamydia, or some uncommon bacteria.

Urinary anti-infectives

Drugs used for initial or recurrent urinary tract infections caused by susceptible organisms, usually bacteriostatic instead of bactericidal.

Vaccines

Suspensions containing antigenic molecules derived from a microorganism, given to stimulate an immune response to an infectious disease.