Mechanisms of action
Mechanisms of action ( 5 Questions)
A nurse is administering an antifungal medication to a client who has a systemic fungal infection.
The nurse understands that antifungal drugs have a higher risk of toxicity than antibacterial drugs because:
Choice A is wrong because fungi do not have cell walls that are difficult to penetrate. Fungi have cell walls that are composed of chitin, glucan, and mannoproteins, which are different from the peptidoglycan cell walls of bacteria. Antifungal drugs can target these components and disrupt the integrity of the fungal cell wall.
Choice B is wrong because fungi are not more resistant to drug therapy than bacteria. Fungi can develop resistance to antifungal drugs, but this is not a common mechanism of antifungal drug failure. Bacteria can also develop resistance to antibacterial drugs through various mechanisms, such as producing enzymes that degrade or modify the drugs, altering the target sites of the drugs, or pumping out the drugs from the cell.
This means that antifungal drugs have to target specific components of the fungal cell that are different from the human cell, such as the cell membrane or the cell wall. However, this also increases the risk of toxicity to human cells, especially those that have high turnover rates, such as liver and kidney cells.
Choice D is wrong because fungi do not mutate rapidly and develop drug resistance. Fungi have a slower rate of mutation than bacteria because they have a more complex genome and a more efficient DNA repair system
This means that antifungal drugs have to target specific components of the fungal cell that are different from the human cell, such as the cell membrane or the cell wall. However, this also increases the risk of toxicity to human cells, especially those that have high turnover rates, such as liver and kidney cells.
Choice A is wrong because fungi do not have cell walls that are difficult to penetrate. Fungi have cell walls that are composed of chitin, glucan, and mannoproteins, which are different from the peptidoglycan cell walls of bacteria.
Antifungal drugs can target these components and disrupt the integrity of the fungal cell wall.
Choice B is wrong because fungi are not more resistant to drug therapy than bacteria. Fungi can develop resistance to antifungal drugs, but this is not a common mechanism of antifungal drug failure. Bacteria can also develop resistance to antibacterial drugs through various mechanisms, such as producing enzymes that degrade or modify the drugs, altering the target sites of the drugs, or pumping out the drugs from the cell.
Choice D is wrong because fungi do not mutate rapidly and develop drug resistance.
Fungi have a slower rate of mutation than bacteria because they have a more complex genome and a more efficient DNA repair system