They have improved activity against Enterobacteriaceae associated with hospital-acquired infections; some agents are also active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is a frequent cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia.
There are 2 groups within the 2nd generation agents that differ in their: 1) spectrum of activity and 2) adverse reaction profile. These groups are the "true" second generation cephalosporins (cefamandole, cefuroxime) and the cephamycins (cefoxitin, cefotetan, cefmetazole).
Tetracyclines are a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics whose general usefulness has been reduced with the onset of antibiotic resistance. Despite this, they remain the treatment of choice for some specific indications. They are generally used in the treatment of infections of the urinary tract, ...
The original antibacterial sulfonamides (sometimes called sulfa drugs or sulpha drugs) are synthetic antimicrobial agents that contain the sulfonamide group. Some sulfonamides are also devoid of antibacterial activity, e.g., the anticonvulsant sultiame. The sulfonylureas and thiazide diuretics are ...
The quinolones are a family of synthetic broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs. Quinolones exert their antibacterial effect by preventing bacterial DNA from unwinding and duplicating. The majority of quinolones in clinical use belong to the subset fluoroquinolones, which have a fluorine atom attached ...
Polypeptide antibiotics are a chemically diverse class of antibiotics containing non-protein polypeptide chains. Examples of this class include actinomycin, bacitracin, colistin, and polymyxin B. Actinomycin-D has found use in cancer chemotherapy. Most other polypeptide antibiotics are too toxic ...
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi, including penicillin G (intravenous use), penicillin V (oral use), procaine penicillin, and benzathine penicillin (intramuscular use). Penicillin antibiotics were among the first drugs to be effective against many previously ...
Oxazolidinones are mainly used as antimicrobials. The antibacterial effect of oxazolidinones is by working as protein synthesis inhibitors, targeting an early step involving the binding of N-formylmethionyl-tRNA to the ribosome. Some of the most important oxazolidinones are the last generation of ...
