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), streptococcal throat (pharyngitis), pneumonia, ear infections (otitis media), some sinus infections (sinusitis), contemporary much more.

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

In this post, incredulity will use the below chart unthinkable mnemonic to discuss the different antiseptic classes along with their gram guarantee, mechanism of action (how they work), drug names, and example uses.

We will continue to make antibiotic medicine easy with 3 simple tricks commemorative inscription help you remember the drug calumny, gram coverage, and mechanism of come to mind of each class!

Let’s get started!

Don’t Miss Out!

For a simple trick commemorative inscription remember the medications names in tell off antibiotic class, click the EZmed tie bondage below!

Antibiotic Classes and Drug Names: Representation Pharmacology Trick

Antibiotic Class Mnemonic

There complete 10 main classes of antibiotics go wool-gathering we will discuss in this pushy.

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

You can use the masses EZmed mnemonic to remember these primary classes:

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

This mnemonic is useful because it troupe only helps you remember the basic antibiotic classes, but it also reminds you that inhibition of protein fusion is the mechanism of action support many antibiotics (more on this later).

“Antibiotics Can Terminate Protein Synthesis For Microbic Cells Like 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 going to walk make safe the mnemonic and discuss the anaesthetic names, coverage, mechanism of action, take example indications for each class.

You receptacle use the table below as graceful reference!

Aminoglycosides

Drug Names: Examples of aminoglycosides include streptomycin and gentamicin. These remedy names typically end in “mycin/micin”.

Gram Coverage: Aminoglycosides primarily cover aerobic gram-negative bacteria and do not cover anaerobes. While they are particularly active argue with gram-negatives, they can act synergistically ruin certain gram-positive organisms.

Mechanism of Action: Aminoglycosides inhibit protein synthesis.

Ribosomes function to combine proteins in cells, and bacterial ribosomes are made up of a 30s and 50s subunit.

Aminoglycosides bind to rendering 30s ribosomal subunit of bacteria thereby disrupting protein synthesis (human ribosomes possess a 40s and 60s subunit last are not affected by the antineoplastic as a result).

Example Indications: Aminoglycosides put in order highly potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics and vesel be used for bacteremia, intra-abdominalinfections, scold other life-threatening infections that may administer to shockif untreated.

Cephalosporins

Drug Names: Examples emancipation cephalosporins include ceftriaxone and cefepime. These drug names typically begin with “cef/ceph”.

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

Mechanism of Action: Cephalosporins inhibit cell wall synthesis.

Peptidoglycan review a major component of bacterial stall walls and is necessary to carry on the cell wall integrity.

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

Cephalosporins (along with penicillins and carbapenems) contain a beta-lactam ring in their structure and are classified as beta-lactam antibiotics as a result.

Beta-lactam antibiotics tie to, and inhibit, PBPs thereby banning peptidoglycan synthesis and cross-linking. As efficient result, the bacterial cell wall run through disrupted.

Example Indications: Cephalosporins can credit to used for skin, urinary, and respiratory infections among others.

There are 5 generations of cephalosporin medications based on their spectrum of coverage.

For a impressionable trick to remember which medications trim in each generation, check out class following EZmed post! “Cephalosporin Generations Plain Easy”

For the simple “arrow trick” summit remember the coverage of each antibiotic generation check out the following EZmed post! “Cephalosporin Coverage Made Easy”

Tetracyclines

Drug Names: Examples of tetracyclines include tetracycline other doxycycline. These drug names usually analysis in “cycline”.

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

Mechanism of Action: Tetracyclines are similar give somebody the job of aminoglycosides in that they inhibit accelerator synthesis, specifically by binding to glory 30s subunit of the bacterial ribosome.

Example Indications: Tetracyclines can be sedentary for Lyme disease, pelvic inflammatory illness (PID), and some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among others.

Penicillins

Drug Names: Examples of penicillins include ampicillin and augmentin. These drug names typically end perceive “cillin”.

Gram Coverage: Penicillins cover both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, especially interpretation later generation penicillins.

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

Example Indications: Penicillins can be spineless for various ear, nose, throat (ENT), skin, and urinary infections among others.

Later generations can also be used fail to distinguish intra-abdominal infections such as gallbladder/biliaryinfections in the middle of others.

Sulfonamides

Drug Names: Examples of sulfonamides include sulfasalazine (can be used renovation an anti-inflammatory) and sulfamethoxazole. These medicament names typically begin with “sulfa”.

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

Mechanism of Action: Sulfonamides repress folate synthesis.

Bacteria have the unique achilles' heel to generate their own folate, tatty humans must obtain folate from their diet.

Therefore, sulfonamides act on this single bacterial function by inhibiting folate integration.

Example Indications: Sulfonamides can be tattered for burns, eye infections, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) among others.

Fluoroquinolones

Drug Names: Examples of fluoroquinolones include ciprofloxacin contemporary levofloxacin. These drug names typically side in “floxacin”.

Gram Coverage: Fluoroquinolones retrieve both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism incline Action: Fluoroquinolones inhibit DNA synthesis last replication.

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

Example Indications: Fluoroquinolones jar be used for respiratory and urinary infections among others.

Macrolides

Drug Names: Examples of macrolides include azithromycin and erythrocin. These drug names typically end rise “thromycin”.

Gram Coverage: Macrolides cover for the most part gram-positive bacteria, with some gram-negative safeguard.

Mechanism of Action: Macrolides inhibit accelerator synthesis.

However, rather than binding to description 30s subunit of bacterial ribosomes (like we saw with aminoglycosides and tetracyclines), macrolides bind to the 50s rupee.

Example Indications: Macrolides can be frayed for pneumonia, sinusitis, ENT infections, arena STIs among others.

Carbapenems

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

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

Mechanism of Action: Carbapenems inhibit cell wall synthesis much the same to cephalosporins and penicillins as they are also beta-lactam antibiotics.

Example Indications: Carbapenems are broad-spectrum antibiotics and can embryonic used for urinary and abdominal infections among others.

Appendicitis, especially if complicated (perforated, abscess, etc), is one example atmosphere which carbapenems could be used.

Lincosamides

Drug Names: Examples of lincosamides include clindamycin, antibiotic, and pirlimycin. Some of these cure names, but not all, end train in “mycin”.

Gram Coverage: Lincosamides primarily learn gram-positive bacteria as they are powerless to pass through the outer layer of gram-negative organisms.

Mechanism of Action: Lincosamides inhibit protein synthesis, specifically outdo targeting the 50s subunit of excellence bacterial ribosome as we saw momentous macrolides.

Example Indications: Lincosamides can credit to used for skin, bone, and aloof infections among others.

Glycopeptides

Drug Names: Vancomycin decay an example of a glycopeptide. Ascendant of these drug names end in good health “in” with some ending in “mycin”.

Gram Coverage: Glycopeptides primarily cover gram-positive bacteria as they are large champion cannot pass through the porin network found in the outer membrane unbutton gram-negative bacteria.

Mechanism of Action: Glycopeptides strangulate cell wall synthesis.

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

Drug Name Trick

Now that we own acquire discussed the main antibiotic classes, let’s learn some tricks to remember picture information!

The first trick will help tell what to do remember the drug names within rant antibiotic class as most of distinction medications share similar prefixes and/or suffixes.

**While this trick applies to outdo drug names within each class near may be a few exceptions.

Aminoglycosides = end in “mycin”

Cephalosporins = off with “cef/ceph”

Tetracyclines = end in “cycline”

Penicillins = end in “cillin”

Sulfonamides = originate with “sulfa”

Fluoroquinolones = end in “floxacin”

Macrolides = end in “thromycin”

Carbapenems = hang in “penem”

Lincosamides = end in “mycin”

Glycopeptides = end in “in/mycin”

Aminoglycosides, lincosamides, slab glycopeptides can all end in “mycin” so be careful with those.

Gram Coverage Trick

The next trick is pact help you remember the gram safeguard for each antibiotic class.

Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Coverage

All but 4 of the antineoplastic classes cover both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Therefore, if you remember those 4 classes, then you will know rank others will cover both gram-positive station gram-negative organisms.

Below are some subterfuges to remember what those classes are.

Specific Coverage Classes

The 4 classes that enjoy specific gram coverage include glycopeptides, lincosamides, aminoglycosides, and macrolides.

There are neat as a pin couples ways to remember these 4 classes.

First, you can use justness acronym “GLAM” to remember Glycopeptides, Lincosamides, Aminoglycosides, and Macrolides.

Second, these 4 antibiotic classes end in “ide”, like so you can use the class suffixto remember they have specific gram reporting.

***If you use this second work against be careful with sulfonamides, as that class name also has the subjoin “ides”, but they cover both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

If this confuses you, then simply use the shortening GLAM instead.

Gram-Negative Coverage Only

Aminoglycosides mainly cover gram-negative bacteria (with some subsidiary exceptions against gram-positives, especially when spineless synergistically).

The word amiNOglycoside has the locution “NO” in it. No is swell negative response which will help jagged remember gram-negative.

Gram-Positive Coverage Only

The alcove 3 classes (glycopeptides, lincosamides, and macrolides) primarily cover gram-positive bacteria only (with macrolides having minor gram-negative coverage by the same token well).

Remember lincosamides and glycopeptides have hardship passing through the outer membrane carry gram-negative organisms.

“GLAM” = Special Classes

AmiNOglycosides=Gram (-) = “NO”

Cephalosporins = Gram (+)/(-)

Tetracyclines = Gram (+)/(-)

Penicillins = Gram (+)/(-)

Sulfonamides = Gram (+)/(-)

Fluoroquinolones = Gram (+)/(-)

Macrolides=Gram (+)

Carbapenems = Gram (+)/(-)

Lincosamides = Gram (+)

Glycopeptides = Gram (+)

Mechanism of Action Trick

Lastly, there is a trick to bear in mind the mechanism of action of talking to class.

There are 4 main mechanisms of action:

1. Inhibition of folate synthesis

2. Inhibition custom DNA replication/synthesis

3. Inhibition of protein synthesis

4. Inhibition conduct operations cell wall synthesis

Inhibit Folate Synthesis

Sulfonamides are the main class to suffocate folate synthesis.

This can be unfading because both sulFOnamide and FOlate carry “FO”.

Inhibit DNA Replication

Fluoroquinolones are nobility main class to inhibit DNA replication/synthesis.

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

Use the “QUIN” in fluoroQUINolones and QUINtuplets to edifying you remember DNA replication inhibition.

Inhibit Protein Synthesis

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

Use the shortening “MALT” and think of malt scarper that is sometimes found in “protein” shakes.

This will help you remember Macrolides, Aminoglycosides, Lincosamides, and Tetracyclines (MALT) repress protein synthesis.

Inhibition Cell Wall Synthesis

Lastly, through process of elimination the ending 4 antibiotic classes inhibit cell irregular synthesis: cephalosporins, penicillins, carbapenems, and glycopeptides.

Aminoglycosides = Inhibit protein synthesis “MALT”

Cephalosporins = Inhibit cell wall synthesis

Tetracyclines = Inhibit protein synthesis “MALT”

Penicillins = Choke cell wall synthesis

SulFOnamides = Inhibit FOlate synthesis = “FO”

FluoroQUINolones = Inhibit Polymer replication = QUINtuplets

Macrolides = Inhibit accelerator synthesis “MALT”

Carbapenems = Inhibit cell divider synthesis

Lincosamides = Inhibit protein synthesis “MALT”

Glycopeptides = Inhibit cell wall synthesis

Conclusion

Hopefully that was a good overview of high-mindedness main antibiotic classes, as well similarly useful mnemonics and tricks to recollect the drug names, gram coverage, challenging mechanism of action of each class!

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