Multi

Multi-Drug Therapy -2 or more drugs may be used simultaneously to kill all the pathogens and to prevent resistant mutant pathogens from emerging -for example, the multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, about 4 drugs are routinely prescribed, and as many as 12 drugs may be required for especially resistant strains Synergism - in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently -the word synergy or synergism comes from two Greek words: erg meaning "to work", and syn meaning "together"; hence, synergism is a "working together" Antagonism -2 drugs are prescribed that actually work against each other Antifungal Agents - medication used to treat fungal infections such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cryptococcal meningitis, and others -such drugs are usually obtained by a doctor's prescription or purchased over-the-counter Antiprotozoal Agents -usually quite toxic to the host work by interfering with DNA and RNA synthesis -interfering with protozoal metabolism

Antiviral Agents - a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections - one class of antimicrobials, a larger group which also includes antibiotic, antifungal and antiparasitic drugs. They are relatively harmless to the host, and therefore can be used to treat infections Drug Resistance - the reduction in effectiveness of a drug in curing a disease or improving a patient's symptoms. When the drug is not intended to kill or inhibit a pathogen, then the term is equivalent to dosage failure or drug tolerance - Pathogens are said to be drug-resistant when drugs meant to neutralize them have reduced effect. When an organism is resistant to more than one drug, it is said to be multidrug resistant

Drug resistance occurs in several classes of pathogens: •

bacteria -- antibiotic resistance

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endoparasites

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viruses -- resistance to antiviral drugs

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fungi

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cancer cells