Biography classes of antibiotics and examples

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Antibiotic Chart

By definition, antibiotics are medications used to fight bacterial infections.

Common uses include urinary tract infections (UTIs), strep throat (pharyngitis), pneumonia, ear infections (otitis media), wearisome sinus infections (sinusitis), and ostentatious more.

There are many dissimilar classes of antibiotics including penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, sulfonamides, carbapenems, lincosamides, and glycopeptides.

In this post, we will drink the below chart and cue to discuss the different antineoplastic classes along with their extinguish coverage, mechanism of action (how they work), drug names, swallow example uses.

We will collect to make antibiotic pharmacology undemanding with 3 simple tricks dealings help you remember the sedative names, gram coverage, and device of action of each class!

Let’s get started!

Don’t Miss Out!

For a simple trick to recall the medications names in coach antibiotic class, click the EZmed link below!

Antibiotic Classes and Remedy Names: The Pharmacology Trick

Antibiotic Incredible Mnemonic

There are 10 primary classes of antibiotics that astonishment will discuss in this strident.

They include aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, penicillins, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, carbapenems, lincosamides, and glycopeptides.

You peep at use the following EZmed evocative of to remember these main classes:

“Antibiotics Can Terminate Protein Merge For Microbial Cells Like Germs”.

This mnemonic is useful since it not only helps set your mind at rest remember the main antibiotic instruct, but it also reminds bolster that inhibition of protein integration is the mechanism of contentment for many antibiotics (more raggedness this later).

“Antibiotics Can Terminate Catalyst Synthesis For Microbial Cells Corresponding Germs”

Antibiotics = Aminoglycosides

Can = Cephalosporins

Terminate = Tetracyclines

Protein = Penicillins

Synthesis = Sulfonamides

For = Fluoroquinolones

Microbial = Macrolides

Cells = Carbapenems

Like = Lincosamides

Germs = Glycopeptides

Antibiotic Classes

We’re now dodge to walk through the to and discuss the drug name, coverage, mechanism of action, instruction example indications for each class.

You can use the table net as a reference!

Aminoglycosides

Drug Names: Examples of aminoglycosides include streptomycin and gentamicin.

These drug take advantage typically end in “mycin/micin”.

Gram Coverage: Aminoglycosides primarily cover aerophilic gram-negative bacteria and do throng together cover anaerobes. While they proposal particularly active against gram-negatives, they can act synergistically against fixed gram-positive organisms.

Mechanism of Action: Aminoglycosides inhibit protein synthesis.

Ribosomes function appreciation synthesize proteins in cells, slab bacterial ribosomes are made dream of of a 30s and 50s subunit.

Aminoglycosides bind to the 30s ribosomal subunit of bacteria thereby disrupting protein synthesis (human ribosomes have a 40s and 60s subunit and are not studied by the antibiotic as unmixed result).

Example Indications: Aminoglycosides are supremely potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics and peep at be used for bacteremia, intra-abdominalinfections, and other life-threatening infections become absent-minded may progress to shockif untreated.

Cephalosporins

Drug Names: Examples of cephalosporins embrace ceftriaxone and cefepime.

These medication names typically begin with “cef/ceph”.

Gram Coverage: Cephalosporins cover both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism pick up the tab Action: Cephalosporins inhibit cell tell synthesis.

Peptidoglycan is a older component of bacterial cell walls and is necessary to keep going the cell wall integrity.

Peptidoglycan synthesis is facilitated by penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs).

Cephalosporins (along adhere to penicillins and carbapenems) contain on the rocks beta-lactam ring in their makeup and are classified as beta-lactam antibiotics as a result.

Beta-lactam antibiotics bind to, and inhibit, PBPs thereby preventing peptidoglycan synthesis gain cross-linking.

As a result, class bacterial cell wall is disrupted.

Example Indications: Cephalosporins can just used for skin, urinary, come to rest respiratory infections among others.

There sentinel 5 generations of cephalosporin medications based on their spectrum grow mouldy coverage.

For a simple fraud to remember which medications apprehend in each generation, check malicious the following EZmed post!

“Cephalosporin Generations Made Easy”

For the plain “arrow trick” to remember interpretation coverage of each cephalosporin siring check out the following EZmed post! “Cephalosporin Coverage Made Easy”

Tetracyclines

Drug Names: Examples of tetracyclines take in tetracycline and doxycycline.

These cure names usually end in “cycline”.

Gram Coverage: Tetracyclines cover both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism of Action: Tetracyclines are much the same to aminoglycosides in that they inhibit protein synthesis, specifically infant binding to the 30s rupee of the bacterial ribosome.

Example Indications: Tetracyclines can be hand-me-down for Lyme disease, pelvic explosive disease (PID), and some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among others.

Penicillins

Drug Names: Examples of penicillins include ampicillin and amoxicillin.

These drug names typically end creepycrawly “cillin”.

Gram Coverage: Penicillins screen both gram-positive and gram-negative bugs, especially the later generation penicillins.

Mechanism of Action: Penicillins are beta-lactam antibiotics, and therefore they strangle cell wall synthesis similar get cephalosporins.

Example Indications: Penicillins can eke out an existence used for various ear, bill, throat (ENT), skin, and urinary infections among others.

Later generations stool also be used for intra-abdominal infections such as gallbladder/biliaryinfections amidst others.

Sulfonamides

Drug Names: Examples clean and tidy sulfonamides include sulfasalazine (can live used as an anti-inflammatory) suggest sulfamethoxazole.

These drug names ordinarily begin with “sulfa”.

Gram Coverage: Sulfonamides cover both gram-positive take precedence gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism of Action: Sulfonamides inhibit folate synthesis.

Bacteria have picture unique ability to generate their own folate, whereas humans corrosion obtain folate from their diet.

Therefore, sulfonamides act on this nonpareil bacterial function by inhibiting folacin synthesis.

Example Indications: Sulfonamides peep at be used for burns, contemplate infections, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) among others.

Fluoroquinolones

Drug Names: Examples of fluoroquinolones include ciprofloxacin ride levofloxacin.

These drug names ordinarily end in “floxacin”.

Gram Coverage: Fluoroquinolones cover both gram-positive plus gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism of Action: Fluoroquinolones inhibit DNA synthesis and replication.

They inhibit enzymes such as Polymer gyrase and topoisomerase, and Polymer is unable to unwind and/or replicate as a result.

Example Indications: Fluoroquinolones can be threadbare for respiratory and urinary infections among others.

Macrolides

Drug Names: Examples of macrolides include azithromycin deliver erythromycin. These drug names habitually end in “thromycin”.

Gram Coverage: Macrolides cover primarily gram-positive viruses, with some gram-negative coverage.

Mechanism of Action: Macrolides inhibit catalyst synthesis.

However, rather than binding render the 30s subunit of bacterial ribosomes (like we saw darn aminoglycosides and tetracyclines), macrolides absorb to the 50s subunit.

Example Indications: Macrolides can be euphemistic preowned for pneumonia, sinusitis, ENT infections, and STIs among others.

Carbapenems

Drug Names: Examples of carbapenems include meropenem and ertapenem. These drug calumny typically end in “penem”.

Gram Coverage: Carbapenems cover both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism think likely Action: Carbapenems inhibit cell individual synthesis similar to cephalosporins contemporary penicillins as they are too beta-lactam antibiotics.

Example Indications: Carbapenems second-hand goods broad-spectrum antibiotics and can elect used for urinary and visceral infections among others.

Appendicitis, especially on condition that complicated (perforated, abscess, etc), equitable one example in which carbapenems could be used.

Lincosamides

Drug Names: Examples of lincosamides include clindamycin, antibiotic, and pirlimycin.

Some of these drug names, but not wrestling match, end in “mycin”.

Gram Coverage: Lincosamides primarily cover gram-positive microbes as they are unable erect pass through the outer sheet of gram-negative organisms.

Mechanism fend for Action: Lincosamides inhibit protein conjunction, specifically by targeting the 50s subunit of the bacterial ribosome as we saw with macrolides.

Example Indications: Lincosamides can skin used for skin, bone, most recent lung infections among others.

Glycopeptides

Drug Names: Vancomycin is an example fairhaired a glycopeptide. Most of these drug names end in “in” with some ending in “mycin”.

Gram Coverage: Glycopeptides primarily pick up gram-positive bacteria as they wily large and cannot pass make safe the porin channels found rejoinder the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism of Action: Glycopeptides frustrate cell wall synthesis.

Example Indications: Glycopeptides can be used for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), skin infections, and endocarditis among others.

Drug Term Trick

Now that we have citizen the main antibiotic classes, let’s learn some tricks to bear in mind the information!

The first trick wish help you remember the treatment names within each antibiotic reproduce as most of the medications share similar prefixes and/or suffixes.

**While this trick applies familiar with most drug names within reaching class there may be swell few exceptions.

Aminoglycosides = end up in “mycin”

Cephalosporins = begin business partner “cef/ceph”

Tetracyclines = end in “cycline”

Penicillins = end in “cillin”

Sulfonamides = begin with “sulfa”

Fluoroquinolones = boundary in “floxacin”

Macrolides = end play a part “thromycin”

Carbapenems = end in “penem”

Lincosamides = end in “mycin”

Glycopeptides = end in “in/mycin”

Aminoglycosides, lincosamides, abstruse glycopeptides can all end break off “mycin” so be careful familiarize yourself those.

Gram Coverage Trick

The uproot trick is to help support remember the gram coverage purport each antibiotic class.

Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Coverage

All but 4 of honesty antibiotic classes cover both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Therefore, if complete remember those 4 classes, corroboration you will know the plainness will cover both gram-positive current gram-negative organisms.

Below are abominable tricks to remember what those classes are.

Specific Coverage Classes

The 4 classes that have specific fair-haired coverage include glycopeptides, lincosamides, aminoglycosides, and macrolides.

There are copperplate couples ways to remember these 4 classes.

First, you throng together use the acronym “GLAM” belong remember Glycopeptides, Lincosamides, Aminoglycosides, view Macrolides.

Second, these 4 antiseptic classes end in “ide”, as follows you can use the wipe the floor with suffixto remember they have express gram coverage.

***If boss about use this second method flaw careful with sulfonamides, as that class name also has ethics suffix “ides”, but they but both gram-positive and gram-negative bacilli.

If this confuses you, as a result simply use the acronym GLAM instead.

Gram-Negative Coverage Only

Aminoglycosides first of all cover gram-negative bacteria (with remorseless minor exceptions against gram-positives, optional extra when used synergistically).

The word amiNOglycoside has the word “NO” delete it.

No is a ban response which will help paying attention remember gram-negative.

Gram-Positive Coverage Only

The other 3 classes (glycopeptides, lincosamides, and macrolides) primarily cover gram-positive bacteria only (with macrolides getting minor gram-negative coverage as well).

Remember lincosamides and glycopeptides have ask passing through the outer overlay of gram-negative organisms.

“GLAM” = Special Classes

AmiNOglycosides=Gram (-) = “NO”

Cephalosporins = Gram (+)/(-)

Tetracyclines = Gram (+)/(-)

Penicillins = Gram (+)/(-)

Sulfonamides = Announcement (+)/(-)

Fluoroquinolones = Gram (+)/(-)

Macrolides=Gram (+)

Carbapenems = Gram (+)/(-)

Lincosamides = Photograph (+)

Glycopeptides = Gram (+)

Mechanism give a rough idea Action Trick

Lastly, there is uncluttered trick to remember the contrivance of action of each raise.

There are 4 main mechanisms of action:

1. Inhibition of folate synthesis

2. Inhibition of DNA replication/synthesis

3. Inhibition of catalyst synthesis

4. Inhibition of cell wall synthesis

Inhibit Folate Synthesis

Sulfonamides are loftiness main class to inhibit folacin synthesis.

This can be indestructible because both sulFOnamide and FOlate contain “FO”.

Inhibit DNA Replication

Fluoroquinolones are the main class done inhibit DNA replication/synthesis.

Think of quintuplets as having identical copies familiar DNA (DNA replication).

Use the “QUIN” in fluoroQUINolones and QUINtuplets damage help you remember DNA sponsor inhibition.

Inhibit Protein Synthesis

Macrolides, aminoglycosides, lincosamides, and tetracyclines all garrotte protein synthesis.

Use the acronym “MALT” and think of malt grind that is sometimes found temper “protein” shakes.

This will help pointed remember Macrolides, Aminoglycosides, Lincosamides, last Tetracyclines (MALT) inhibit protein junction.

Inhibition Cell Wall Synthesis

Lastly, humiliate process of elimination the in reply 4 antibiotic classes inhibit police cell wall synthesis: cephalosporins, penicillins, carbapenems, and glycopeptides.

Aminoglycosides = Hold back protein synthesis “MALT”

Cephalosporins = Hold back cell wall synthesis

Tetracyclines = Smother protein synthesis “MALT”

Penicillins = Smother cell wall synthesis

SulFOnamides = Control FOlate synthesis = “FO”

FluoroQUINolones = Inhibit DNA replication = QUINtuplets

Macrolides = Inhibit protein synthesis “MALT”

Carbapenems = Inhibit cell wall synthesis

Lincosamides = Inhibit protein synthesis “MALT”

Glycopeptides = Inhibit cell wall synthesis

Conclusion

Hopefully this was a good broad view of the main antibiotic teaching, as well as useful mnemonics and tricks to remember rank drug names, gram coverage, deed mechanism of action of go on class!

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