How do viruses become resistant to drugs?

Biological basis of resistance This phenotype is determined by specific mutations in the viral genome (the genotype), which leads to alterations in the viral target protein (for example, HIV reverse transcriptase) or the viral drug activator (for example, herpes simplex thymidine kinase).

Why is it more difficult to develop an antiviral drug?

But because viruses code for only a few proteins of their own, there might be only one or two proteins that a drug can target. And those viral enzymes may have functions that host cells also perform. That overlap creates the potential for an antiviral to inadvertently harm healthy human cells.

Why is it difficult to make antiviral drugs Class 9?

Without the cell wall the bacteria cannot survive inside the host body. – When a virus enters the host body it uses the host cell for it’s metabolism, so the antiviral medicines will work against the host cell. – Hence, antiviral medicines are more difficult to make than antibiotics.

How does bacteria become resistant to drugs?

Bacteria develop resistance mechanisms by using instructions provided by their DNA. Often, resistance genes are found within plasmids, small pieces of DNA that carry genetic instructions from one germ to another. This means that some bacteria can share their DNA and make other germs become resistant.

Why is it difficult to design antiviral drugs Class 9?

Designing safe and effective antiviral drugs is difficult because viruses use the host’s cells to replicate. This makes it difficult to find targets for the drug that would interfere with the virus without also harming the host organism’s cells.

Why do antibiotics not work on viruses?

Why don’t antibiotics work on viruses? Viruses are different to bacteria; they have a different structure and a different way of surviving. Viruses don’t have cell walls that can be attacked by antibiotics; instead they are surrounded by a protective protein coat.

Can I take antiviral and antibiotics at the same time?

Acyclovir is an anti-viral and amoxicillin an antibiotic. They can be taken together.

How bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics and how humans can contribute to the phenomenon?

The more antibiotics are used, the more resistant the bacteria can become because sensitive bacteria are killed, but stronger germs resist the treatment and grow and multiply. Repeated and improper use of antibiotics contributes to this process.

Why are viral infections generally difficult to treat with chemotherapeutic agents?

Specificity against virus replication is the key issue in chemotherapy. Because of the close interaction between virus replication and normal cellular metabolism, it was originally thought too difficult to interrupt the virus replicative cycle without adversely affecting the host cell metabolism.

Why is it difficult to treat diseases caused by viruses GCSE?

It is difficult to develop drugs that can kill viruses. This is because the virus infects a cell and hijacks the cell’s machinery in order to create more copies of itself. Destroying the virus will often mean destroying the cell that the virus is inside of. Antivirals are drugs that stop viruses from replicating.