Transcript Lecture 6
Antimicrobial Drugs
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Antimicrobal Chemotherapy Terms
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Chemotherapy
• The use of drugs to treat a disease
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Early history of Antimicrobial
Chemotherapeutic Agents
Paul Ehrlich (1910) developed the •
concept of chemotherapy to treat microbial
diseases
•
He predicted the development of •
chemotherapeutic agents which would kill
pathogens without harming the host
In 1930s Sulfa drugs came into
prominence
Gerhard Domagk
Alexander Fleming discovered the •
first antibiotic penicillin in 1929
** its first trials were done in 1940 •
History of antibacterial
Paul Ehrlich articulates the principles of •
chemotherapy in 1894
1910 introduce Salvarsan to treat syphilis •
Alexander Fleming discovered •
penicillin in 1929 •
Penicillium spp •
. •
Synthetic antibiotic = sulfa drug •
Antibiotic/Antimicrobial
• Antibiotic: Chemical produced by a
microorganism that kills or inhibits the
growth of another microorganism
• Antimicrobial agent: Chemical that kills
or inhibits the growth of microorganisms
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The Spectrum of antimicrobial Activity
**it is easy to find or develop drugs that •
effective against prokaryotic cells ,&
that do not affect the eukaryotic cells of
humans
**the problem is difficult when the •
pathogen is eukaryotic (fungus,
protozoan, helminthes)
**viral infection more difficult to treat •
The Spectrum of antimicrobial Activity
**-differ in cell wall •
-differ in fine structure of their •
ribosome
-details of their metabolism •
**resemble the human cell •
**the virus is within the human cells •
• Selective toxicity: A drug that kills harmful
Therapeutic Index
microbes without damaging the host
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This is defined by Therapeutic Index as a
measure of the degree of selective toxicity.
The therapeutic index is the ratio of the toxic
dosage to the therapeutic dosage.
That is, (Lowest dose toxic to patient) (Dose normally
used for therapy).
The greater the ratio (or difference) of these
two numbers, the easier it is to find a dosage
that kills the pathogen without harming the
host.
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Drug Dosage (per Kg Body Weight)
Therapeutic Index
Therapeutic Index = Toxic Dose/Therapeutic Dose
Small Ratio
(dangerous)
Most
desirable.
Moderate
Ratio
High Ratio
(safe)
Mechanisms of Antimicrobial
Action
• Bacteria have their own enzymes for
– Cell wall formation
– Protein synthesis
– DNA replication
– plasma membrane
– Synthesis of essential metabolites
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Targets of Antibacterial Drugs
Measuring Antimicrobial Sensitivity
• These tests are used to determine
which chemotherapeutic agent is
most likely to combat a specific
pathogen
• These tests are used when
susceptibility can not be predicted or
when drug resistance arises
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Susceptibility Tests
(cont’d)
Agar diffusion = disk-diffusion test
Kirby-Bauer Disk Diffusion Test
Sensitive
Intermediate
resistant
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Antiviral Drugs
• Viruses are composed of nucleic acid,
protein capsid, and host membrane
containing virus proteins
• Viruses live inside host cells and use
many host enzymes
• Some viruses have unique enzymes for
DNA/RNA synthesis or protein cutting in
virus assembly
• Viruses are reproduce only inside living
cells
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Viral replicative cycle
Attachment === receptors •
Penetration •
Uncoating •
Nucleic acid replication •
(polymerases) •
Assembly •
Release •
Antiviral drugs
Inhibitors of •
Attachment •
Penetration •
Uncoating •
Nucleic acid synthesis •
(polymerases inhibitors) •
Assembly •
Release •
Antifungal Drugs
Inhibitors of •
cell wall synthesis •
plasma membrane = sterols = ergosterol •
interfere with RNA biosynthesis
Anti parasitic drugs
Anti protozoan & anti helminthes drugs •
Inhibit enzymes and proteins •
Inhibit nucleic acid synthesis •
Inhibit nutrient absorbtion •
Alters membrane permeability •
Prevent ATP generation •