Podcast Beta
Questions and Answers
What is the primary mechanism of action for macrolides and ketolides?
Which of the following antibiotics is considered a ketolide?
Which antibiotic is typically used as an alternative for individuals allergic to penicillin?
Clarithromycin has enhanced activity against which of the following organisms compared to erythromycin?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following statements about azithromycin is true?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the antibacterial spectrum of telithromycin compared to azithromycin?
Signup and view all the answers
How do macrolides typically function against bacterial infections?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following antibiotics has the least effectiveness against streptococci?
Signup and view all the answers
What mechanism contributes to resistance against macrolides?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following statements is true regarding the pharmacokinetics of erythromycin?
Signup and view all the answers
How is clarithromycin primarily excreted from the body?
Signup and view all the answers
Which ketolide is likely to be effective against macrolide-resistant organisms?
Signup and view all the answers
What effect does food have on the absorption of azithromycin?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following kinetics is associated with telithromycin?
Signup and view all the answers
What distinguishes azithromycin from erythromycin regarding pharmacokinetics?
Signup and view all the answers
What mechanism can render macrolides ineffective?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the most common adverse effect associated with macrolides?
Signup and view all the answers
Which macrolide has been specifically associated with irreversible hearing loss?
Signup and view all the answers
What effect does erythromycin have at higher doses related to gastric function?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following can lead to toxic accumulation of drugs when interacting with erythromycin?
Signup and view all the answers
Which adverse effect is most commonly related to the estolate form of erythromycin?
Signup and view all the answers
In which condition should macrolides be used cautiously due to their effects on the QTc interval?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary mechanism of action of fidaxomicin?
Signup and view all the answers
Which condition further limits the use of telithromycin due to its adverse effects?
Signup and view all the answers
What type of anemia is characterized by the body's inability to produce new blood cells and can occur independently of dosage?
Signup and view all the answers
Which antibiotic can cause gray baby syndrome due to the neonate's low capacity to glucuronidate the drug?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a common metabolic effect of chloramphenicol that affects the metabolism of warfarin?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following is a potential adverse effect associated with clindamycin use?
Signup and view all the answers
Which specific bacteria are primarily targeted when using clindamycin?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a major reason for the limited clinical utility of oral clindamycin?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the distribution issue faced by clindamycin concerning central nervous system treatment?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the ratio of streptogramins in the mixture quinupristin/dalfopristin?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary mechanism of resistance seen in oxazolidinones?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following accurately describes the pharmacokinetics of linezolid?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the most common gastrointestinal adverse effect associated with oxazolidinones?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following oxazolidinones has a notable risk of causing irreversible peripheral neuropathies?
Signup and view all the answers
Which adverse effect is associated with concurrent use of oxazolidinones and large quantities of tyramine-containing foods?
Signup and view all the answers
How is tedizolid primarily metabolized and eliminated from the body?
Signup and view all the answers
What are the inactive metabolites of linezolid primarily formed through?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following is a serious adverse effect that can arise from using oxazolidinones for more than 28 days?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Macrolides and Ketolides
- Macrolides are antibiotics with a macrocyclic lactone structure with attached deoxy sugars.
- Erythromycin was the first macrolide used clinically, as both a first choice and an alternative to penicillin for penicillin allergies.
- Clarithromycin and azithromycin have similarities to erythromycin but have improvements.
- Telithromycin is a semi-synthetic derivative of erythromycin, a “ketolide” antimicrobial agent.
- Macrolides and ketolides bind irreversibly to the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, inhibiting protein synthesis translocation steps.
- They may also interfere with bacterial protein synthesis transpeptidation.
- They are generally considered bacteriostatic but may be bactericidal at higher doses.
- Their binding site is either identical to or in close proximity to clindamycin and chloramphenicol.
Antibacterial spectrum
- Erythromycin is effective against many of the same organisms as penicillin G.
- Clarithromycin has activity similar to erythromycin but is effective against Haemophilus influenzae and has greater activity against intracellular pathogens such as Chlamydia, Legionella, Moraxella, Ureaplasma species, and Helicobacter pylori.
- Azithromycin is less active than erythromycin against streptococci and staphylococci but is more active against respiratory pathogens such as H. influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis.
- Telithromycin has an antimicrobial spectrum similar to azithromycin.
- Ketolides neutralize the most common resistance mechanisms that make macrolides ineffective.
Resistance
- The inability of the organism to take up the antibiotic.
- Presence of efflux pumps.
- Decreased affinity of the 50S ribosomal subunit for the antibiotic in gram-positive organisms.
- Presence of erythromycin esterases in gram-negative organisms such as the Enterobacteriaceae.
- Erythromycin has limited clinical use because of increasing resistance.
- Clarithromycin and azithromycin share some cross-resistance with erythromycin.
- Telithromycin may be effective against macrolide-resistant organisms.
Pharmacokinetics
- Erythromycin base is destroyed by gastric acid, requiring enteric-coated tablets or esterified forms for oral administration.
- Clarithromycin, azithromycin, and telithromycin are stable in stomach acid and are readily absorbed.
- Food interferes with the absorption of erythromycin and azithromycin but can increase the absorption of clarithromycin.
- Telithromycin is administered orally without regard to meals.
- Erythromycin and azithromycin are available in IV formulations.
Distribution
- Erythromycin distributes well to all body fluids except the CSF.
- It is one of the few antibiotics that diffuses into prostatic fluid and accumulates in macrophages.
- All four drugs concentrate in the liver.
- Clarithromycin, azithromycin, and telithromycin are widely distributed in the tissues.
- Azithromycin concentrates in neutrophils, macrophages, and fibroblasts, and serum concentrations are low.
- Azithromycin has the largest volume of distribution of the four drugs.
Elimination
- Erythromycin, azithromycin, and telithromycin undergo hepatic metabolism.
- Erythromycin, azithromycin, and telithromycin are excreted in the bile.
- Partial reabsorption occurs through the enterohepatic circulation.
- Clarithromycin is hepatically metabolized, and the active drug and its metabolites are excreted in the urine.
- Clarithromycin dosages should be adjusted in patients with renal impairment.
- They can inhibit the oxidation of many drugs through their interaction with the cytochrome P450 system.
- Clarithromycin can interfere with the metabolism of theophylline, statins, and numerous antiepileptics.
Adverse Effects
- Gastric distress and motility: Gastrointestinal upset is most common, possibly leading to poor patient compliance.
- Cholestatic jaundice: More common with the estolate form of erythromycin and reported with other formulations and agents in this class.
- Ototoxicity: Transient deafness has been associated with erythromycin, especially at high doses. Azithromycin has also been associated with irreversible hearing loss.
- QTc prolongation: Macrolides and ketolides may prolong the QTc interval, requiring caution in individuals with proarrhythmic conditions or concomitant use of proarrhythmic agents.
Contraindications
- Patients with hepatic dysfunction should be treated cautiously with erythromycin, telithromycin, or azithromycin.
- Severe hepatotoxicity with telithromycin has limited its use due to alternative therapies.
Drug interactions
- Erythromycin, telithromycin, and clarithromycin can inhibit the hepatic metabolism of various drugs, leading to toxic accumulation.
- An interaction with digoxin may occur. One theory suggests the antibiotic eliminates intestinal flora that ordinarily inactivates digoxin, resulting in greater reabsorption of digoxin from the enterohepatic circulation.
Fidaxomicin
- Fidaxomicin is a macrocyclic antibiotic with a structure similar to the macrolides.
- Fidaxomicin acts on the sigma subunit of RNA polymerase, disrupting bacterial transcription and terminating protein synthesis, leading to cell death in susceptible organisms.
- Fidaxomicin has a narrow spectrum of activity limited to gram-positive aerobes and anaerobes.
Chloramphenicol
- Chloramphenicol inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit.
- It is an effective broad spectrum antibiotic especially against gram-negative bacterial infections.
- It is used to treat serious infections such as meningitis, typhoid fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
- Chloramphenicol can cross the placenta and is excreted in breast milk, making it a common choice for treating neonatal infections.
- It is commonly administered intravenously.
- Although it is not a preferred antibiotic, it is still used for certain infections, particularly when other options are less effective.
Adverse Effects
- Hematopoietic toxicity: The classic adverse effect is dose-related bone marrow suppression, manifesting as anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. It's a rare but serious adverse effect.
- Gray baby syndrome: Neonates have limited capacity for glucuronidation of the antibiotic and underdeveloped renal function, leading to drug accumulation.
- This accumulation interferes with mitochondrial ribosome function, causing poor feeding, depressed breathing, cardiovascular collapse, cyanosis, and death.
- Adults receiving very high doses of chloramphenicol may also exhibit this toxicity.
Drug interactions
- Chloramphenicol inhibits some hepatic mixed-function oxidases, preventing the metabolism of drugs like warfarin and phenytoin and potentiating their effects.
Clindamycin
- Clindamycin (lincosamides) has a mechanism of action similar to macrolides.
- Clindamycin is used primarily for gram-positive organisms, including MRSA, streptococcus, and anaerobic bacteria.
- Resistance mechanisms are the same as for erythromycin, and cross-resistance has been described.
- C. difficile is resistant to clindamycin.
- Clindamycin is available in both intravenous and oral formulations, but oral use is limited by gastrointestinal intolerance.
- It distributes well into all body fluids but has poor entry into the CSF.
- Clindamycin undergoes extensive oxidative metabolism and is excreted into bile and urine.
- Accumulation has been reported in patients with severe renal impairment or hepatic failure.
- Low urinary excretion of active drug limits its clinical utility for urinary tract infections.
- The most common adverse effect is diarrhea, which may represent a serious pseudomembranous colitis caused by overgrowth of C. difficile.
Quinupristin/Dalfopristin
- Quinupristin/dalfopristin is a mixture of two streptogramins.
Oxazolidinones
- Oxazolidinones are synthetic antibiotics with a unique mechanism of action.
- They inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit.
- Oxazolidinones are effective against gram-positive bacteria, including MRSA and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE).
- Linezolid and tedizolid are the two currently available oxazolidinones.
- They are frequently used to treat serious infections, particularly those caused by drug-resistant organisms.
Resistance
- Resistance primarily occurs via reduced binding at the target site.
- Reduced susceptibility and resistance have been reported in S. aureus and Enterococcus sp.
Pharmacokinetics
- Linezolid and tedizolid are well-absorbed after oral administration, and IV formulations are also available.
- They distribute widely throughout the body.
- Linezolid is metabolized via oxidation to inactive metabolites.
- It is excreted by renal and nonrenal routes
- Tedizolid is metabolized by sulfation, and the majority of elimination occurs via the liver.
- It is excreted in the feces
- No dose adjustments are required for either agent for renal or hepatic dysfunction.
Adverse effects
- Gastrointestinal upset, nausea, diarrhea, headache, and rash are the most common adverse effects.
- Thrombocytopenia has been reported, usually in patients taking the drug for more than 10 days.
- Irreversible peripheral neuropathies and optic neuritis causing blindness have been associated with greater than 28 days of use.
- Linezolid and tedizolid possess nonselective monoamine oxidase inhibitory activity.
- They can lead to serotonin syndrome if given concomitantly with tyramine-containing foods, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
- The condition is reversible upon drug discontinuation.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Related Documents
Description
Explore the key features of macrolides and ketolides, including their structures, mechanisms of action, and clinical applications. Learn about the crucial differences between erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, and their semi-synthetic derivative, telithromycin. This quiz offers insights into their antibacterial spectrum and modes of action.