Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BPN: CH 46
Antibiotics: Antimicrobial agent derived from other living organism that kill bacteria (end result, no bacteria)
Bactericidal Antibiotics: Kills bacteria dead (could kill good bacteria). End result, no bacteria.
Bacteriostatic Antibiotics: Helps to freeze or inhibit growth of or expansion of bacteria so the body can take
over and fight bacteria. (End result, no bacteria.)
Empiric Therapy: Give a good antibiotic that will more than likely work but a culture must be taken. Call
Doctor if temperature more than 38* C or 101.5*F. Culture takes 3 days =bacteria specific.
Prophylactic: Preventative-need is imminent. Common penicillin. Doctor knows infection at risk for the
development of infection so you protect.
Secondary Infection: Super Infection=Thrush, yeast infection-have to be on antibiotics first to cause infection,
intestinal secondary infection=c diff
Signs of Infection: Redness, confusion, temperature, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate,
inflammation, pus, and smells
-May be combined with other antibiotics for enhanced potency (trimethoprim, erythromycin)
-Bacteriostatic, inhibits the synthesis of folic acid in the bacteria itself, stops growth
-Therapeutic Uses: Upper Respiratory Infections (URI), Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
Nursing Considerations:
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Have the patient hang around the doctor office to find out if they are allergic.
Don’t give to the patient that has known allergy to sulfa, pregnant or lactating, taking with plenty of fluids.
Penicillins
-Beta-lactamase – enzyme that bacteria can produce that can destroy penicillin
-Used to treat: ear infections, pneumonia, UTI, before dental and surgeries, E-coli, STD
-Side effects and adverse effects: anaphylactic, itch, rash, dermatitis, swelling
Penicillin antibiotics:
Nursing Considerations:
-1st generation cephalosporins, Good gram positive coverage, limited coverage against gram-negative
bacteria
-2nd generation cephalosporins, Same gram positive coverage as 1st generations with enhanced gram-
negative coverage cefoxitin (Mefoxin)
-3rd generation cephalosporins, Excellent gram negative coverage but poor coverage against gram-positive
organisms
-Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) – very long half life, can be given once a day as an IV or IM dose. One IM dose
can sometimes eradicate the infection
-4th generation cephalosporins, Broader spectrum against gram-positive bacteria than 3rd generations
-Therapeutic uses: UTI, Respiratory Infections, Meningitis, septicemial (infection in blood stream
Nursing Considerations:
-Other: acne chanchroid, Lyme disease, Helicobacter pylori infections associated with peptic ulcer
disease, gonorrhea and syphilis
Nursing Considerations:
Not to be given to anyone under 8 years old. Calcium gets drawn out, teeth will have brown splotches
Many drug interactions. Give with a lot of fluids, avoid dairy products, no antacids.
-Very potent and have potentially serious toxicities, so they are reserved for more serious and life-
threatening infections
-Effective for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria
-Used in the treatment of nosecomial infections: UTI, Meningitis, wound infections, septiciemias
Nursing Consideration:
With 3rd. Peak and trough (draw blood 30 minutes before administration and 1 hour after treatment is done) Renal
function-BUN & Creatine
-Bactericidal Inhibits DNA gyrase, which inhibits the synthesis of DNA in bacteria
Nursing Considerations
Macrolides
-Therapeutic Uses: Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Helicobacter pylori, Respiratory infections, STDs, GI disease
Nursing Considerations:
Antiviral Agents
Antiviral Agents:
Acyclovir (Zovirax)
-Used to suppress herpes simplex type 1 and 2 infections, Varicella-zoster virus (Chicken Pox and
Shingles)
-Very effective
-Side effects: rash, nausea, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abnormal liver function tests (ALT, AST,
Billirubin, Albumin)
-Decreases the viral load in the bloodstream and delays immunologic decline
-Side effects: headache, nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, fatigue, insomnia, musculoskeletal pain, neuropathy,
rash, fever, abnormal liver function tests
Neuraminidase Inhibitors
Nursing Considerations:
Antitubercular Agents
Aerobic:
Ethambutol (Myambutol)
-Used in the treatment of TB
-May be given for: primary treatment or with others for TB (depends on how aggressive TB is)
Pyrazinamide
-Is either bacteriostatic or bactericidal (depending on the concentration at site of infections
Rifampin (Rifadin)
-Bacterial agent
-May cause: feces, saliva, sweat, urine, sputum, tears, to turn orange/red in color
-Side effect: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, abdominal cramps (liver damage if accompanied by
fever, chills, or muscle and bone pain, unusual bruising or a yellow discoloration
Nursing Considerations:
Plenty of fluids
-Most all patients who are given this med IV experience fever, chills, hypotension, malaise, joint and
muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and headache (Shake and Bake)
-Because of side effects most patients are pre-medicated with Tylenol (decrease fever), antihistamine, and
an antiemetic
Griesofulvin
-Avoid taking during Pregnancy
-Used to treat topical fungal infections, tinea cruris, tinea corporis and tinea pedis
Antimalarial Agents
Malaria:
Chloroquine (Aralen):
Mefloquine (Lariam):
-Available orally
Primaquine
Pyrimethamine
Nursing Considerations:
Antiprotozoal Agents
The protozoa that cause these infections are parasites
Protozoal Infections:
Amebiasis: infection that mainly resides n the large intestine, can migrate to other parts of the body (liver).
Transmitted in contaminated food or water.
Giardiasis: Most common intestinal protozoal infection. Resides in the intestinal mucosa (duodenum). May cause
diarrhea, bloating, foul-smelling stools. Transmitted by contaminated food, water, or by contact with stool from
infected persons.
Pneumocytosis: cause exclusively in immunocompetent and immunocomprimised people. Always fatal if left
untreated.
Toxoplamosis: Can produce a systemic infection in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts.
Pregnant women. Domesticated animals-cats serve as intermediate host for parasites, passing infective oocystes in
their feces.
-Do not drink alcohol with this medication. May cause severe nausea and vomiting. Some patients may
avoid cough syrup and mouth wash
Atovaquone
Iodoquinol
Paromomycin
Pentamidine
Nursing Considerations:
Give with food, may turn urine to dark and concentrated with strong odor
Anthelmintic Agents
Helmintic (pinworm) infections: Parasitic worm infections
Platyhelminthes (flatworms)
-Cestodes (tapeworms)
-Trematodes (flukes)
Nematoda (roundworms)
Mebendazole (Vermox):
-Available only orally