Question
List aminoglycoside antibiotics. Mention its four common properties and two adverse effects.
Q16 marksEssays
Answer
Aminoglycosides: Streptomycin, Gentamicin, Tobramycin, Amikacin, Neomycin, Kanamycin
Common properties
- Bactericidal, act by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis (bind to 30S ribosomal subunit, cause misreading of mRNA)
- Poor oral absorption — given parenterally (except for local gut decontamination, e.g., neomycin)
- Do not cross the blood-brain barrier well
- Show concentration-dependent killing and post-antibiotic effect — allows once-daily dosing
- Mainly active against aerobic Gram-negative bacilli (and synergistic with beta-lactams against some Gram-positive organisms)
- Excreted unchanged by the kidney
Adverse effects
- Ototoxicity (vestibular and auditory, often irreversible)
- Nephrotoxicity (reversible)
- (Also: neuromuscular blockade, hypersensitivity)
- 1Aminoglycosides
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