Antibiotic agents classified by mechanism of action

 I thought no ICU-related site is complete without a tribute to the chemical weapons we deploy in the constant violent struggle against the teeming hordes of microorganisms which threaten our precious bodily fluids. This is a list of such weapons, separating them by their functional class. The college has not asked detailed pharmacology-related questions about antibiotics since Question 5 from the second paper of 2000, where the candidates were asked to "utline  the indications,  contraindications, side effects  and  details of  administration  for benzyl penicillin, ciprofloxacin and cotrimoxazole.

Antimicrobial Agents

Antibiotics which disrupt bacterial cell walls

Beta-lactams

  • Benzylpenicillin
  • Ampicillin
  • Flucloxacillin
  • Ticarcillin + clavulanate
  • Piperacillin + tazobactam

Cephalosporins

  • 1st gen
    • Cephalexin
    • Cephazolin
  • 2nd gen
    • Cefuroxime
  • 3rd gen
    • Cefotaxime
    • Ceftriaxone
    • Ceftazidime
  • 4th gen
    • Cefepime
  • 5th gen
    • Ceftaroline

Carbapenems

  • Imipenem + cilastatin
  • Meropenem

Monobactams

  • Aztreonam

Glycopeptides

  • Vancomycin
  • Teicoplanin

Cyclic polypeptides

  • Polymyxin E (colistin)
  • Polymyxin B
  • Bacitracin

Lipopeptides

  • Daptomycin

Non-selective biocides

  • Hexamine

Folate metabolism inhibitors

  • Sulfomethoxazole + trimethoprim,
    “cotrimoxazole”

  • Dapsone

  • Pentamidine

Antifungal drugs

  • Polyenes
    • Amphotericin B
    • Nystatin
  • Imidazoles
    • Fluconazole
  • Triazoles
    • Voriconazole
    • Posaconazole
  • Echinofungins
    • Caspofungin
    • Anidulofungin

Antibiotics which interrupt protein synthesis

Macrolides

  • Erythromycin
  • Roxithromycin
  • Azithromycin

Aminoglycosides

  • Gentamicin
  • Tobramycin
  • Amikacin

Aminocyclitols

  • Spectinomycin

Tetracyclines

  • Doxycycline
  • Tigecycline

Streptogramins

  • Quinupristin+dalfopristin

Nitrobenzenes

  • Chloramphenicol

Lincosamides

  • Clindamycin

Oxazolidinones

  • Linezolid

Fusidanes

  • Fusidic acid

Anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy

Antiprotozoal agents

  • Metronidazole
  • Antimalarial drugs

Antibiotics which disrupt DNA or RNA synthesis

Fluoroquinolones

  • Ciprofloxacin
  • Norfloxacin
  • Moxifloxacin

Ansamycins

  • Rifampicin

Antiviral drugs

  • Anti-herpesvirus
    • Aciclovir
    • Foscarnet
  • Anti-CMV
    • Ganciclovir and valganciclovir
  • Anti-influenza
    • Oseltamivir