Investigate the Treatment of Infectious Diseases INFECTOUS DISEASES Investigate the Treatment of Infectious Diseases

DRUGS USED FOR TREATMENT Drugs used to treat bacterial diseases can be grouped into categories based on their modes of action Penicillins/cephalosporins: interfere with certain layers of the cell wall Chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, erythromycins: may be toxic when used in high doses or prolonged periods of time Rifampin: used for treatment of TB

DRUGS FOR VIRAL INFECTIONS Drugs that effectively inhibit viral infections are highly toxic to host cells because viruses use the host’s metabolic enzymes in reproduction Antiviral drugs: target virus-specific enzymes Acyclovir: used in the treatment of genital herpes Amantadine: used to prevent or moderate influenza AZT: inhibit replication of HIV genome

DEVELOPMENT OF DRUGS Development of drugs used to treat fungal, protozoan, and helminthic diseases are also highly toxic to mammals -azole derivatives inhibit sterol synthesis (ex. fluconazole) Amphotericin B: disrupts cell membrane

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE Antimicrobial resistance presents ongoing problems in the fight against infectious diseases Penicillin resistance noted as early as 1943 Mycobacterium tuberculosis: some strands resistant to all drugs Resistance to antibiotics: result of changes in genetic information Initially as mutations to existing genes Many bacteria acquire these genes Resistant genes are transferred to other members of same species