Antimicrobial
Nucleoside analog antivirals
Fake nucleosides cause chain termination
NOO-klee-oh-side AN-uh-logz
High-yield clue
A nucleoside analog lacking a 3'-hydroxyl gets built into the viral chain and terminates further elongation.
Overview
An antiviral class (e.g. acyclovir, ganciclovir) that mimics natural nucleosides and is incorporated into growing viral nucleic acid, used in coursework to teach selective activation and chain termination.
Classification
- Antiviral
- Nucleoside/nucleotide analog
- Requires phosphorylation to active form
- Inhibits viral polymerase
Lab & identification clues
- Acyclovir activation depends on viral thymidine kinase vocabulary
- Chain termination = missing 3'-OH group concept
- Selective toxicity from preferential viral-enzyme activation
Associations
- Herpesvirus study association (HSV, VZV, CMV)
- Viral DNA polymerase target vocabulary
- Resistance via thymidine-kinase or polymerase mutation framing
Commonly confused with
- Reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
- Neuraminidase inhibitors
Your notes
Original mechanism summary for microbiology study. Sources checked: CDC antimicrobial-resistance guidance, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and standard coursework frameworks; reviewed 2026-06. Covers class, mechanism, and resistance vocabulary only; no prescribing, dosing, or patient-specific treatment guidance.