broad-spectrum antibiotic
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antibiotic
[an″te-, an″ti-bi-ot´ik]1. destructive of life.
2. a chemical substance produced by a microorganism that has the capacity, in dilute solutions, to kill other microorganisms or inhibit their growth. Antibiotics that are sufficiently nontoxic to the host are used as chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of infectious diseases. See also antimicrobial agent.
antineoplastic a's (antitumor a's) a class of antineoplastic agents that apparently affect the function or the synthesis, or both, of nucleic acids and thus are cell cycle nonspecific. See also antineoplastic therapy.
broad-spectrum antibiotic one that is effective against a wide range of bacteria, both gram-positive and gram-negative.
β-lactam antibiotic any of a group of antibiotics, including the cephalosporins and the penicillins, whose chemical structure contains a β-lactam ring.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
broad-spec·trum an·ti·bi·ot·ic
an antibiotic having a wide range of activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
broad-spectrum antibiotic
A therapeutic array used to treat bacterial infections—e.g., acute otitis media.Examples
Azithromycin, clarithromycin, cefixime, cefpodoxime proxetil, cefprozil, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime axetil, loracarbef.
Cons
Overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics facilitates development of antibiotic-resistant infections and multi-drug resistance.
Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
broad-spec·trum an·ti·bi·ot·ic
(brawd-spek'trŭm an'tē-bī-ot'ik)An antibiotic having a wide range of activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012