Editing Infections: Antibiotics (section)

==Mechanism of Action==
{| class="wikitable"
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Drug or drug class'''
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Mechanism of Action'''
|'''Mechanisms of drug resistance'''
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">β-Lactams (penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, aztreonam)'''
| rowspan="3" |'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis'''
|Production of β-lactamase
Alteration in binding site of penicillin-binding protein

Changes in cell wall porin size (decreased penetration)
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Vancomycin'''
|Enzymatic alteration of peptidoglycan at different point
than target
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Fosfomycin'''
|Novel amino acid substitutions or the loss of function of transporters
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Aminoglycosides (gentamicin, tobramycin, etc.)'''
| rowspan="2" |'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Inhibits ribosomal protein synthesis'''
|Downregulation of drug uptake into bacteria
Bacterial production of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Clindamycin, macrolides (erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin)'''
|
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Quinolones (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, etc.)'''
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Inhibits bacterial DNA gyrase'''
|Mutation in DNA gyrase-binding site
Changes in cell wall porin size (decreased penetration)

Active efflux
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole'''
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Competitive inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase'''
|Draws folate from environment (enterococci)
|-
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Nitrofurantoin'''
|'''<span style="color:#ff0000">Inhibits several bacterial enzyme systems'''
|Not fully elucidated—develops slowly with prolonged exposure
|}