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Introduction To Antimicrobial Agents: DR Asma Abdullah Mohamed

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27 views21 pages

Introduction To Antimicrobial Agents: DR Asma Abdullah Mohamed

Uploaded by

Mona Adam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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INTRODUCTION TO

ANTIMICROBIAL
AGENTS
DR
Asma Abdullah Mohamed
Introduction
ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
 Involves the administration of drugs with selective

toxicity against pathogens involved in infection, not


host cell.
 Chemotherapy as a science began in the first decade

of the 20th century


 The remarkably powerful and spesific activity of

antimicrobial drugs is due to their selectivity for


targets that are much more important to
microorganisms than in humans
Introduction
The core of chemotherapy is understanding of the
principles of :
 selective toxicity

 The specific chemical relationships between

microbial pathogens and drugs


 The development of drug resistance

 The role of combined therapy


Features of antimicrobial drugs
1/ Selective toxicity :
 An ideal antimicrobial agent exhibits selective

toxicity , which mean that the drug is harmful to


pathogen without being harmful to the host (i.e: A
drug in the concentration tolerated by the host may
damage an infecting microorganism.)
Features of antimicrobial drugs
2/Antimicrobial action :
 Bacteriostatic : inhibit growth of microorganisms

 Bactericidal : Kill microorganisms


Features of antimicrobial drugs
3/Spectrum of activity :
 Antimicrobial medications vary with respect to

thhe range of microorganisms the kill or inhibit


 Some kill only limited range :

Narrow – spectrum antibiotics


 While others kill wide range of microorganisms :

Broade – spectrum antibiotics


Features of antimicrobial drugs
4/Adverse effects :
 Allergic reactions :

Some people developed hypersensitivities to


antimicrobiald
 Toxic effects :

Some antimicrobial toxic at high concenertion or cause


advere effects
 Suppression of normal flora :

When normal flora killed , other pathogens may be able to


grow to highly numbers
Features of antimicrobial drugs
5/Antimicrobial resistance
 Origin of drug resistance :

 Non genetic

 genetic

 Cross- resistance

 Antimicrobial resistance can develop at any one or

more of steps in the processes by which a drug


reaches and combines with its targets
Features of antimicrobial drugs
5/Antimicrobial resistance
 Resistance due to reduced entery of drug into

pathogen ( gram -)
 Resistance due to drug efflux ( plasmodium

falciparum )
 Resistance due to destruction of antibiotics ( B-

lactams – aminoglycosides)
 Resistance due to reduced affinity of drug to altered

target structrure ( tetracycline)


Features of antimicrobial drugs
5/Antimicrobial resistance
 Resistance due to enhanced excision of

incorporated drug (nucleoside reverse transcriptase


inhibitors such as zidovudine )
Limitation of drug resistance
Emergence of drug resistance can be minimized by
the following :
 By maintaining suufectiently high level of the drug

in the tissues to inhibit both the original population


and first step mutation
 By simultaneously administration two drugs that do

not give cross- resistance


 By avoiding exposure of microorganisms to a

particular drug by limiting its use , specially in


hospitals
Why antimicrobial used in combination??

 To give prompet treatment in very ill patients


suspected o having a seriouse microbial infections
 To delay the emergence of microbial mutants
resistant to one drug in chronic infections ( e.g
active T.B)
 Tot treat mixed infections
 To achieve bactericidal synergism
 To permit reduction in dose and thus avoids
toxicity
Types and goals of antimicrobial therapy

 Microorganisms of medical importance fall into four


categories :
 Bacteria
 Viruses
 Fungi
 Parasites
 The first classification of antibiotics follows this
classifications closely , so we have :
 Antibacterial- antiviral – antifungal- antiparasitic agents
Types and goals of antimicrobial therapy

 With in each of these major categories , drugs are further


categorized by their biochemical properties
 Useful way to organize the types and goals of antimicrobial
therapy is to consider where along the disease progression
timetable therapy is intiated
 Therapy can be :
 Prophylactic
 Preemptive
 Empirical
 Definitive
 Suppresive

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