Beta lactam antibiotics

Introduction

β-Lactam antibiotics are the most commonly used class of antibiotics and the first class of these drugs discovered. Alexander Fleming isolated the first β-lactam antibiotic, penicillin, in 1929 from a strain of Penicillium rubens [fig 1]. His accidental discovery of the drug revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections; this class is now the most commonly prescribed injectable antibiotic in the US (1). This family of drugs is named for their central 4-membered cyclic amide (called a lactam) [fig 2]. Many investigations have converged upon the thesis that this ring, due to susceptibility for nucleophilic attack, irreversibly binds a serine residue on penicillin binding proteins, preventing complete synthesis of the bacterial cell wall. (2) Due to the widespread use of this class of drugs, bacteria have evolved to resist them by producing the enzyme β-lactamase.

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Figure 1. Macroscopic and microscopic appearance of
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Legend/credit: Electron micrograph of the Ebola Zaire virus. This was the first photo ever taken of the virus, on 10/13/1976. By Dr. F.A. Murphy, now at U.C. Davis, then at the CDC.
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Section 1 Genetics

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Section 2 Microbiome

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Edited by [Author Name], student of Joan Slonczewski for BIOL 116, 2024, Kenyon College.