gramicidin /gram·i·ci·din/ (gram″ĭ-si´din) an antibacterial polypeptide produced by Bacillus brevis ; it is applied topically in infections due to susceptible gram-positive organisms.
gramicidin (gram´isī´din),
gram·i·ci·din (gr m  -s d n)n. An antibiotic produced by a Bacillis bacterium and used to treat certain gram-positive bacteria infections. |
gramicidin (gram´isī´din),
n an antibacterial agent generally used in conjunction with nystatin, a specific anticandidal agent, and neomycin, a complementary antibacterial agent, in the treatment of angular cheilosis.
gramicidin
an antibacterial substance produced by the growth of Bacillus brevis, one of the two principal components of tyrothricin; called also gramicidin D. Gramicidin S is a closely related substance produced by a thermophilic strain of B. brevis.
antibiotic
1. Pertaining to the ability to destroy or inhibit other living organisms.
2. A substance derived from a mould or bacterium, or produced synthetically, that destroys (bactericidal) or inhibits the growth (bacteriostatic) of other microorganisms and is thus used to treat infections. Some substances have a narrow spectrum of activity whereas others act against a wide range of both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms (broad-spectrum antibiotics). Antibiotics can be classified into several groups according to their mode of action on or within bacteria: (1) Drugs inhibiting bacterial cell wall synthesis, such as bacitracin, vancomycin and the β-lactams based agents (e.g. penicillin, cephalosporins (e.g. ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime). (2) Drugs affecting the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, such as polymyxin B sulfate and gramicidin. (3) Drugs inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis, such as aminoglycosides (e.g. amikacin sulfate, framycetin sulfate, gentamicin, neomycin sulfate and tobramycin), tetracyclines, macrolides (e.g. erythromycin and azithromycin) and chloramphenicol. (4) Drugs inhibiting the intermediate metabolism of bacteria, such as sulfonamides (e.g. sulfacetamide sodium) and trimethoprim. (5) Drugs inhibiting bacterial DNA synthesis, such as nalixidic acid and fluoroquinolones (e.g. ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin). (6) Other antibiotics such as fusidic acid, the diamidines, such as propamidine isethionate and dibrompropamidine. Syn. antibacterial. See antiinflammatory drug; fusidic acid.
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