Article Sections

Introduction

Antibacterial antibiotics represent >100 individual drugs across a dozen classes.  Many systems and tables exist for reference.  The first half of this article presents each of the major classes of antibiotics, including their mechanism of action ( Figure 1), spectrum, major indications, and important adverse effects.  The second half provides a general framework for antibiotic selection.

β-lactam antibiotics

Overview

β-lactam antibiotics all share a common square ring (β-lactam ring); in most β-lactam antibiotic classes, this ring is fused to another ring (ie, bicyclic system).  Changes to the β-lactam ring or to side chains are responsible for changes in antibiotic properties (eg, spectrum of activity).

The β-lactam antibiotics include penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, and monobactams.  These antibiotics reach the peptidoglycan bacterial cell wall, including by going through porins in gram-negative organisms (

Continue Learning with UWorld

Get the full Antimicrobials: Antibiotics article plus rich visuals, real-world cases, and in-depth insights from medical experts, all available through the UWorld Medical Library.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 6