Antimalarial Drug Treatment Quiz

Antiviral Drugs

• The most common adverse effect associated with Raltegravir is muscle weakness.
• Elvitegravir, when administered with cobicistat or ritonavir, can cause creatine kinase elevation.
• Raltegravir is contraindicated in patients with Q148 mutation.
• Bictegravir is coformulated with emtricitabine and TAF.

Viral Infections

• The ultimate expression of parasitism by viruses is the production of new viral particles.
• Designing anti-viral treatments is challenging because viruses mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to drugs.
• Inhibiting viral replication is an important strategy for combating viral infections.

Antimalarial Drugs

• The main challenge associated with viral infections is the development of resistance to drugs.
• Artesunate is recommended by the WHO for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
• Primaquine is the drug of choice for the radical cure of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale.
• Quinine is contraindicated in patients with psoriasis or porphyria.
• Tafenoquine is known to interfere with the absorption of kaolin and calcium- and magnesium-containing antacids.
• Chloroquine is safe for use in pregnancy and for young children.
• Quinine is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree.
• Primaquine is recommended for the elimination of P.vivax and P.ovale.
• Primaquine is gametocidal against P.vivax and P.ovale but not P.falciparum.
• The mechanism of action of Atovaquone is unknown.
• Artemisinin is a rapidly acting blood schizonticide against all human malaria parasites.

Anti-Herpes Drugs

• Acyclovir is the drug of choice for herpes labialis.
• The mechanism of action of Ribavirin is through the inhibition of viral RNA synthesis.
• Famciclovir has antiviral activity against HSV, VZV, and EBV.
• Oseltamivir is administered orally.
• The primary target of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) is the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Other Antiviral Drugs

• Interferons induce the enzyme PKR, which inhibits protein synthesis.
• HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) for HIV treatment includes a combination of antiretroviral drugs.
• The primary target of direct-acting antiviral (DAV) agents for Hepatitis C is the HCV protease or polymerase.
• Zanamivir has a half-life of 20 hours.
• Abacavir is associated with a potentially fatal hypersensitivity reaction characterized by fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, and dyspnea.
• Abacavir should be avoided in patients who are HLAB*5701 positive due to the risk of hypersensitivity reaction.
• Emtricitabine is structurally similar to lamivudine and is active against the hepatitis B virus.
• Efavirenz can interact with other antiretroviral drugs and should be avoided in long QT syndrome and liver disease.
• Darunavir is given with low-dose ritonavir/cobicistat and should be avoided in severe liver disease.
• Oseltamivir is excreted unchanged in urine and requires dose adjustment in renal insufficiency.
• Abacavir is associated with CV events and is contraindicated in patients who are HLAB*5701 positive.
• Efavirenz has CNS/psychiatric effects, interacts with other antiretroviral drugs, and should be avoided in long QT syndrome and liver disease.
• Atazanavir can increase the risk of kidney stones and has a lower risk of hyperlipidemia compared to other protease inhibitors.

Antifungal Drugs

• Azoles work by inhibiting the enzyme lanosterol 14-alpha-demethylase, which is involved in the synthesis of ergosterol.
• Voriconazole is the only azole that can reach the Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with good concentrations.
• Voriconazole is the drug of choice for invasive aspergillosis of the lung.
• Amphotericin B has the broadest spectrum of activity against fungi.
• The mechanism of action of Flucytosine is through the inhibition of DNA synthesis.
• Griseofulvin binds to microtubules and prevents spindle formation and mitosis in fungi.
• Undecylenic acid is too toxic for parenteral administration and is used only topically.
• The mechanism of action of Terbinafine is through the inhibition of squalene epoxidase.
• Chloroquine is primarily classified as a tissue schizonticide.
• The primary use of Chloroquine in treating malaria is for the treatment of the liver stage of the parasite.
• Chloroquine reaches maximum plasma concentrations in about 3 hours.
• The main mechanism of action of Amphotericin B is through the formation of pores in the fungal cell membrane.

Test your knowledge on the drug of choice for non-falciparum and sensitive falciparum malaria treatment, its effects, contraindications, and chemoprophylaxis. Learn about the drug's limitations and the importance of adding primaquine for radical cure in certain species.