Antiprotozoal

{{short description|Class of pharmaceuticals used to treat protozoan infections}}

Antiprotozoal agents (ATC code: ATC P01) is a class of pharmaceuticals used in treatment of protozoan infection.

A paraphyletic group, protozoans have little in common with each other. For example, Entamoeba histolytica, a unikont eukaryotic organism, is more closely related to Homo sapiens (humans), which also belongs to the unikont phylogenetic group, than it is to Naegleria fowleri, a "protozoan" bikont. As a result, agents effective against one pathogen may not be effective against another.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Antiprotozoal agents can be grouped by mechanism{{cite book|author=Cynthia R. L. Webster|title=Clinical pharmacology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NmR00leAkt8C&pg=PA86|access-date=2 May 2010|date=15 June 2001|publisher=Teton NewMedia|isbn=978-1-893441-37-8|pages=86–}} or by organism.{{cite book|author1=Anthony J. Trevor|author2=Bertram G. Katzung|author3=Susan B. Masters|title=Katzung & Trevor's pharmacology: examination & board review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bvtkl3XUC5AC&pg=PA435|access-date=2 May 2010|date=11 December 2007|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-148869-3|pages=435–}} Recent papers have also proposed the use of viruses to treat infections caused by protozoa.{{Cite journal | last1 = Keen | first1 = E. C. | title = Beyond phage therapy: Virotherapy of protozoal diseases | doi = 10.2217/FMB.13.48 | journal = Future Microbiology | volume = 8 | issue = 7 | pages = 821–823 | year = 2013 | pmid = 23841627}}{{Cite journal | last1 = Hyman | first1 = P. | last2 = Atterbury | first2 = R. | last3 = Barrow | first3 = P. | doi = 10.1016/j.tim.2013.02.006 | title = Fleas and smaller fleas: Virotherapy for parasite infections | journal = Trends in Microbiology | volume = 21 | issue = 5 | pages = 215–220 | year = 2013 | pmid = 23540830}}

Overuse or misuse of antiprotozoals can lead to the development of antiprotozoal resistance.{{Cite journal |last=Ouellette |first=Marc |date=November 2001 |title=Biochemical and molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in parasites |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3156.2001.00777.x |journal=Tropical Medicine and International Health |volume=6 |issue=11 |pages=874–882 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-3156.2001.00777.x |pmid=11703841 |issn=1360-2276}}

Medical uses

Antiprotozoals are used to treat protozoal infections, which include amebiasis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis, malaria, babesiosis, trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and toxoplasmosis.{{cite journal|last1=Khaw|first1=M|last2=Panosian|first2=C B|author-link2=Claire Panosian |title=Human antiprotozoal therapy: past, present, and future.|journal=Clinical Microbiology Reviews|date=1 July 1995|volume=8|issue=3|pages=427–439|pmc=174634|issn=0893-8512|pmid=7553575|doi=10.1128/CMR.8.3.427}} Currently, many of the treatments for these infections are limited by their toxicity.{{cite journal|last1=Graebin|first1=C.|last2=Uchoa|first2=F.|last3=Bernardes|first3=L.|last4=Campo|first4=V.|last5=Carvalho|first5=I.|last6=Eifler-Lima|first6=V.|title=Antiprotozoal Agents: An Overview|journal=Anti-Infective Agents in Medicinal Chemistry|date=1 October 2009|volume=8|issue=4|pages=345–366|doi=10.2174/187152109789760199|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230608289|issn=1871-5214}}

Outdated terminology

Protists were once considered protozoans, but of late the categorization of unicellar organisms has undergone rapid development, however in literature, including scientific, there tends to persist the usage of the term antiprotozoal when they really mean anti-protist. Protists are a supercategory of eukaryota which includes protozoa.

Mechanism

The mechanisms of antiprotozoal drugs differ significantly drug to drug. For example, it appears that eflornithine, a drug used to treat trypanosomiasis, inhibits ornithine decarboxylase, while the aminoglycoside antibiotic/antiprotozoals used to treat leishmaniasis are thought to inhibit protein synthesis.{{cite journal|last1=CREEK|first1=DARREN J.|author2-link=Michael Barrett (parasitologist)|last2=BARRETT|first2=MICHAEL P.|title=Determination of antiprotozoal drug mechanisms by metabolomics approaches|journal=Parasitology|date=9 January 2017|volume=141|issue=1|pages=83–92|doi=10.1017/S0031182013000814|pmc=3884841|issn=0031-1820|pmid=23734876}}

Examples

References

Category:Biocides