Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are powerful medicines that fight bacterial infections. Most antibiotics fall into their individual antibiotic classes. An antibiotic class is a grouping of different drugs that have similar chemical and pharmacologic properties. Penicillin’s, tetracycline, cephalosporin, quinolones, lincomycins, macrolides, sulphonamides, aminoglycosides, carbapenems are few classes of antibiotics. Some antibiotics work by killing germs (bacteria or the parasite). This is often done by interfering with the structure of the cell wall of the bacterium or parasite. Some work by stopping bacteria or the parasite from multiplying. Most side-effects of antibiotics are not serious. Common side-effects include soft stools (faeces), diarrhoea, or mild stomach upset such as feeling sick (nausea). The overuse of antibiotics in recent years means they're becoming   less effective and has led to the emergence of "superbugs". These are strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to many different types of antibiotics.