TABLE 2.
Other frontline antibiotics (Patrick, 2013).
| Group | Glycopeptides | Aminoglycosides | Tetracyclines | Macrolides | Chloramphenicol | Lincosamides | Streptogramins |
| Sub-structure | Polyphenolic glycopeptides | Carbohydrate, basic amine groups | Tetracyclic, two enols, one amide | O-glycosylated lactone rings | Dichloroacetamide, nitrophenyl | Thiosugar amine | Lactone macrocycles |
| MOA | Bind to cell wall building blocks | Inhibit protein synthesis by binding to ribosomes | |||||
| Inhibition | Bactericidal | Bactericidal | Bacteriostatic | Bacteriostatic | Bacteriostatic | Bacteriostatic | Bacteriostatic |
| Examples | Vancomycin, teicoplanin, eremomycin | Streptomycin, gentamicin C1a | Chlortetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, demeclocycline | Erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, telithromycin | Chloramphenicol | Lincomycin, clindamycin | Pritinamycin, quinupristin, dalfopristin |
| Group | Oxazolidinones | Quinolones | Fluoroquinolones | Aminoacridines | Rifamycins | Nitroimidazoles | Cephalosporins |
| Sub-structure | N-heterocycle, lactone, fluoride | N-heterocyclic quinone | Piperazine fluoride quinone | Napthalenic lactone in macrocycle | Pentene, N-heterocycles | β-lactam with adjoining thiohexacyclene | |
| MOA | Bind to 50S subunit | Inhibit topoisomerase enzymes | Intercalate with DNA, toxic to humans | Inhibit RNA polymerase | Inhibit protozoa and anaerobes | Cell wall, transpeptidase inhibition Bactericidal | |
| Inhibition | Bacteriostatic | Bactericidal | Bactericidal | Bactericidal | Bacteriostatic | Bactericidal | |
| Examples | Linezolid | Nalidixic acid | Cirofloxacin, enoxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin | Proflavine | Rifamycin B, rifampicin | Metronidazole, nitrofurantoin | Cephalothin, cefalexin, cefazolin, cefoxitin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ceftrioxone, cefpirome |
| Group | Ionophores | Cyclic lipopeptides | Sulfonamide | Sulfones | |||
| Sub-structure | Macrocycle with hydrophobic semi-circle | SO2NH1 | SO2 | ||||
| MOA | Act on plasma membrane, disrupt ion channels | Inhibition of dihydropteroate synthetase | |||||
| Inhibition | Bactericidal | Bactericidal | Bacteriostatic | Bacteriostatic | |||
| Examples | Valinomycin, gramicidin, polymyxin B | Valinomycin, daptomycin | Sulfamethoxazole | - | |||