... by 1948 more than 4500 existed, but only about two dozen actually have been used in clinical practice. The sulpha drugs have proven to be ineffective against certain infections such as Salmonella (Patrick, 2001). Other problems such as toxicity observed in some patients and the evolution of sulphanilamide-resistant bacterial strains, resulted in them being superseded by penicillin. Only a few sulphonamides are extensively used today, for infections in patient with AIDS, urinary tract infections and burn therapy (Fullerton, 1998). The role of sulphonamides The sulphonamides interfere with bacterial folate metabolism. In order for purine synthesis to occur, tetrahydrofolate (THF) is a requirement. It is also a cofactor for the methylation of various amino acids. The formation of dihydrofolate from para aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is catalysed by dihydropteroate synthase. Dihydrofolate is further reduced to THF by dihydrofolate reductase. Microorganisms require extracellular PABA to form folic acid. Sulphonamides are analogues of PABA hence they ...

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