Anti-protozoal agent - what is it? The use and mechanism of action of antiprotozoal agents

If the doctor has detected infection with the simplest ones - amoebas, lamblias, trichomonads, plasmodiums, he will prescribe an antiprotozoal remedy for the treatment of diseases caused by them (dysentery, urethritis, colpitis, malaria). What this is, how it affects the human body and how effective it is, we'll talk in our article.

How are antiprotozoal drugs divided?

All living organisms, except bacteria, belong to eukaryotes. That is, they have a nucleus in the cell structure. Therefore, the protozoa that have entered the body have much in common with our cells in metabolic processes, and getting rid of them is much harder than from bacteria. In addition, antiprotozoal agents (the mechanism of action of which we shall consider below) often exert a strong toxic effect on the body, which complicates treatment of the infection. But it is necessary to combat it, since the results can be very serious, regardless of the type of protozoa that have affected the body, up to a lethal outcome.

All antiprotozoal drugs are divided according to the orientation to a particular pathogen of the disease:

• Antimalarial;
• Anti-amoebic;
• Used for giardiasis;
• With trichomoniasis;
• With leishmaniasis;
• With toxoplasmosis.

Within the groups, the division goes either in the place and method of influencing the parasites (as in the case of anti-amoebic agents), or in influencing the form of protozoan development (as in the case of antimalarial drugs). Let's consider it on an example of separate kinds of originators.

How are anti-amoebic remedies divided

Infection with amoeba is quite common. In medicine, this pathology is defined as amoebiasis. It is caused by the simplest Entamoeba histolytica, which settles in the large intestine, resulting in the appearance of symptoms similar to bacterial dysentery. The patient feels pain in the abdomen, fever, he has a disorder of stool.

Part of the amoebae can then parasitize in the intestinal wall or affect the liver. There are cases of their introduction into the lungs and the human brain, where they cause the appearance of abscesses.

What antiprotozoal means means for amebiasis can be understood from the way they are divided, depending on the localization of the pathogens of amebiasis. So, among them there are:

• Drugs that act on amoeba, located in the lumen of the intestine ("Khiniophon", "Mexaform", "Enetroseptol", etc.);
• Drugs acting on amoebae in the wall of the intestine (in this case, antibiotics that violate the conditions of the existence of amoebae - "Tetracycline" or "oxytetracycline");
• Drugs acting in the liver ("Hingamin", "Chloroquine");
• Drugs that act for any localization of amoebas (derivatives of nitroimidazole - "Metronidazole", "Ornidazole" or "Nirdazol").

Antiprotozoals: classification for malaria

Malaria refers to a group of diseases that occur with the same symptoms: fever, fever, joint pain, enlarged spleen and liver, and a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood. This leads to infection by different types of plasmodium through the bite of a female mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles.

As already mentioned, antimalarial drugs are divided depending on the effect on the development of plasmodia. There are four groups:

• Hematoschotropic - affecting the erythrocyte form of plasmodia (preparations "Quinine", "Hingamin", "Chloridine", "Maloprim" or "Pirimetamine");
• Histoshisotropic, affecting the pre-erythrocytic form (the drug "Proguanil") and the para-erythrocytic form (the drug "Primachin");
• Gamantotrophic agents that give a gamantocidal ("Primachin") and a gamantostatic effect ("Pirimethamine");
• Combined preparations ("Fansidar", "Metakelfin").

The main action that all antiprotozoal agents have is damage and inhibition (slowing down) of the process of synthesis of nucleic acids in protozoa, as well as destruction of their cytoplasmic membrane, which eventually leads to the death of these microorganisms.

Treatment for trichomoniasis

So, for example, and the drug "Metronidazole", which is used as a primary agent in the treatment of trichomoniasis, acts.

Infection with Trichomonas (Trichomonas vaginalis) affects the human urogenital system, causing urethritis in men and vaginitis in women. As a rule, if you suspect a similar infection, treat both sex partners, even if the disease in one of them is asymptomatic.

In women with infection, which occurred in the vagina, the disease manifests itself by the release of a large number of foamy leucorrhoea. They, as a rule, have an unpleasant smell and can be yellowish or greenish in color. Often, this also causes painful sensations during coition.

And when the urethra is infected, there are rez and burning during urination, which signals the development of urethritis. In this case, itching and redness in the vagina, as well as swelling of the vulva, are frequent.

As already mentioned, the main antiprotozoal drug in gynecology And urology is Metronidazole. But due to the fact that in recent years there has been an increase in the number of strains resistant to the drug, such agents as "Tinidazol" or "Ornidazole" will be used to treat infections.

Means for treating toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is another disease in the treatment of which an antiprotozoal drug is used. That this infection occurs when you use raw or poorly roasted meat is probably no secret for anyone. Most often this disease takes on a chronic form, and its manifestations differ in variety depending on which organ is affected by toxoplasm (Toxoplasma gondii).

In people with weakened immunity, this infection manifests itself, as a rule, in the lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, lymphatic and nervous system, in the form of encephalitis, generalized lymphadenopathy or myositis. And with infection of pregnant women, toxoplasmosis can cause the appearance of ugliness in the child, as well as premature birth or abortion.

The main drug in the treatment of this pathology is "Chloridine" in conjunction with sulfonamides ("Sulfadimezin", "Sulfadimetoksin" or "Sulfapiridazin").

Preparations for the treatment of Giardiasis

It is impossible not to remember, describing the antiprotozoal remedy, that it is also a drug that treats infection with lamblia. Giardiasis is a fairly common pathology that occurs as a result of lesions of parasites of the liver and small intestine. The danger of this disease is that it can not be manifested, but lamblia carriers can infect others.

Acute manifestation of this disease in children and people with weakened immunity. As a rule, the patient experiences diarrheal syndrome, fever, vomiting, rash (similar to measles), anorexia, liver enlargement, loss of appetite, and sharp pains in the pit of the stomach.

Effective agents for the treatment of Giardiasis are Metronidazole, Ornidazole, Acrychin and Furazolidone in combination with antihistamines and enterosorbents.

What other means are used as antiprotozoal

The drugs used to treat the diseases listed above often have an antibacterial effect. Thus, tablets "Metronidazole" are both antimicrobial and antiprotozoal agents capable of influencing the development of lamblia, trichomonads and amoebas, as well as some anaerobic microorganisms: peptococci, streptococci, bacteroides, clostridia, fusobacteria, etc.

This action allows this drug to be effective in fighting trichomonas vaginitis and urethritis, as well as with giardiasis and amoebic dysentery. A similar sphere of action is possessed by the preparation "Tiberal" ("Ornidazole").

A drug "Delagil", which includes chloroquine phosphate, is indicated for use in malaria, amebiasis, as well as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Means used in leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is another pathological condition for which an antiprotozoal agent is required. What this disease represents and how it flows, largely depends on the patient's immunity and the place of injury. Leishmaniasis is divided into skin-mucous, diffuse cutaneous and visceral. In the latter case, the spleen and liver are affected, and the parasite circulates in the blood.

For treatment in severe cases, intravenous or intramuscular injections of pentavalent antimony preparations are used. In cutaneous forms of this infection, they are in some cases replaced with drugs "Metronidazole" or "Paromomycin."

Once again about what an antiprotozoal means means

From all the above it is clear that antiprotozoal drugs help to rid the body of parasites represented by protozoa. The above drugs affect them, disrupting the development process and the life cycle.

But treatment with antiprotozoal drugs has many side effects and is quite difficult. So, the diagnosis of the presence of parasitic infection in the early period is a very important point in the treatment of all these diseases. Running pathologies can not only pass into a chronic form, but also lead to disability or death.

It is very important, suspecting the presence of some disease, as soon as possible to turn to a specialist, only in this case the treatment process will have the maximum effect and will preserve health. Do not be ill!