NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Gentamicin

Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, and can treat many types of bacterial infections, particularly Gram-negative infection. However, gentamicin is not used for Neisseria gonorrheae, Neisseria meningitidis or Legionella pneumophila infections. The regulation of therapeutic goods, that is drugs and therapeutic devices, varies by jurisdiction. ... In pharmacology and toxicology, a route of administration is the path by which a drug, fluid, poison or other substance is brought into contact with the body 1. ... Aminoglycosides are a group of antibiotics that are effective against certain types of bacteria. ... Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics test plate. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Bacteria that are Gram-negative are not stained dark blue or violet by Gram staining, in contrast to Gram-positive bacteria. ... Neisseria is a genus of bacteria, included among the proteobacteria, a large group of gram-negative forms. ... Binomial name Neisseria meningitidis Albrecht & Ghon, 1901 Neisseria meningitidis, also simply known as meningococcus is a gram-negative bacterium best known for its role in meningitis. ... Binomial name Legionella pneumophila Brenner DJ, Steigerwalt AG, McDade JE 1979 Legionella pneumophila is a thin, pleomorphic, flagellated Gram-negative bacterium of the genus Legionella. ...

Gentamicin is a bactericidal antibiotic that works by binding the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, interrupting protein synthesis. A bacteriocide or bactericide is a substance that kills bacteria and, preferably, nothing else. ... Figure 1: Ribosome structure indicating small subunit (A) and large subunit (B). ...

Like all aminoglycosides, when gentamicin is given orally, it is not effective. This is because it is absorbed from the small intestine, and then travels through the portal vein to the liver, where it is inactivated. Therefore, it can only be given intravenously, intramuscularly or topically. In biology the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) between the stomach and the large intestine and includes the duodenum, jejunum, and the ileum. ... The portal vein is a major vein in the human body draining blood from the digestive system and its associated glands. ... The liver is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ... Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the administration of liquid substances directly into a vein. ... Intramuscular injection is the injection of a substance directly into a muscle. ... In medicine, a topical medication is applied to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes such as the vagina, nasopharynx, or the eye. ...

E. coli has shown some resistance to gentamicin, despite being Gram-negative. E. coli redirects here. ...

Gentamicin is one of the few heat-stable antibiotics that remain active even after autoclaving, which makes it particularly useful in the preparation of certain microbiological growth media.

Side effects

All aminoglycosides are toxic to the sensory cells of the ear, but they vary greatly in their relative effects on hearing versus balance. Gentamicin is a vestibulotoxin, and can occasionally cause permanent loss of equilibrioception, caused by damage to the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear. Gentamicin has on occasion impaired or even wholly destroyed hearing. In most instances, the affected individual has undergone treatment for 2 weeks or more. A small number of affected individuals have a normally harmless mutation in their mitochondrial RNA, that allows the gentamicin to affect their cells. The cells of the ear are particularly sensitive to this. Gentamicin is sometimes used intentionally for this purpose in severe Ménière’s disease, to disable the vestibular apparatus. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A pierced human ear. ... MÃ©niÃ¨res disease (or syndrome, since its cause is unknown) was first described by French physician Prosper MÃ©niÃ¨re in 1861. ... See also Labyrinth, an article treating the mythical maze that imprisoned the Minotaur. ...

Gentamicin can also be highly nephrotoxic, particularly if multiple doses accumulate over a course of treatment. For this reason gentamicin is usually dosed by body weight. Various formulae exist for calculating gentamicin dosage. Also serum levels of gentamicin are monitored during treatment. Nephrotoxicity is a poisonous effect of some substances, both toxins and medication, on the kidney. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with human weight. ...

Gentamicin producers

Gentamicin is produced by a fermentation procedure. Majority of the gentamicin production is happening in China and S. Korea, the last European producer is Lek, part of Sandoz group.

References

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Aminoglycosides (J01G)

Amikacin • Gentamicin • Kanamycin • Neomycin • Netilmicin • Streptomycin • Tobramycin • Paromomycin • Hygromycin B • Spectinomycin

Category: Aminoglycoside antibiotics Aminoglycosides are a group of antibiotics that are effective against certain types of bacteria. ... A section of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System. ... Amikacin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used to treat different types of bacterial infections. ... Kanamycin (marketed under the brand name KantrexÂ®) is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, available in both oral and intravenous forms, and used to treat a wide variety of infections. ... Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that is found in many topical medications such as creams, ointments and eyedrops. ... Netilmicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic. ... Streptomycin is an antibiotic drug, the first of a class of drugs called aminoglycosides to be discovered, and was the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis. ... Tobramycin sulfate is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used to treat various types of bacterial infections, particularly Gram-negative infections. ... Paromomycin sulfate (brand name Humatin) is a drug that fights intestinal amoeba infection, or amebiasis. ... Hygromycin B, is an antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus. ... Spectinomycin hydrochloride (TrobicinÂ®) is an aminocyclitol antibiotic produced by the bacteria Streptomyces spectabilis. ...

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Gentamicin producers

References

Side effects