What are carbapenems?

carbapenems are a very strong class of beta-lactam antibiotics that are structurally associated with penicillins. They are broad-spectrum antibiotics and act against gram-negative, gram-positive bacteria and those that grow in the absence of oxygen. These drugs are usually used in the case of infection by several types of bacteria or when invasive bacteria are resistant to other types of antibiotics. There are strains of bacteria that have developed a gene for carbapenem resistance, and alarm the medical community with fear of worldwide superbug.

Beta-lactam antibiotics have an annular structure composed of three carbon atoms and one nitrogen atom. They disrupt the synthesis of bacterial cell walls by interfering into the key step of the synthesis. These compounds block penicillin -bound proteins (PBP). This leaves the intermediates of the bacterial cell wall released. This causes the cell to produce enzymes that degrade its own cell wall and kill the body.

many bacteRie produces enzymes that degrade beta-lactam antibiotics. Such enzymes are known as beta-lactamas. It is common practice to prescribe this type of antibiotics inhibitor beta-lactamase, so bacteria cannot degrade antibiotics. In carbapenem, the used beta-lactamase inhibitor of cilastatine is used.

In clinical practice, a number of different types of carbapenems are used. The first compound to be used was imipen, which is commonly prescribed by cilastatine. Later types of inhibitors may not be used with this beta-lactamase inhibitor. These compounds differ in which PBP binds, giving some selectivity to different types of organisms. For example, those who inhibit PBP3 are specific to opportunistic pathogen pseudomonas aeruginosa .

carbapenems are the strongest antibiotics because they are able to contain such diverse array bacterial infections. Are usually storedFor use as a scale of the last option to avoid the development of resistance against them. Such antibiotics are usually administered intravenously in hospitals.

This class of antibiotics is able to kill most bacteria that produce beta-lactamase inhibitors because its structure is slightly different from other beta-lactam antibiotics classes. However, new strains of enteric bacteria have evolved that have a gene resistance that allows them to degrade beta-lactamase of carbapenems. Enteric bacteria are gram -negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli . The new resistance gene is known as NDM-1. It is a beta-lactamase with metal ions as a capping and was first isolated in a new Delhi in India. The name means New Delhi Metallo beta-lactamase .

Many patients in the UK were hospitalized with tribes of bacteria containing this resistance Gene. Some have died. Most of them were on the Indian subcontinent, mainly for cosmetic surgery. Others have closedA contract for their disease from other patients in the hospital. Infections also occurred in the United States, Canada and several other countries.

There is no other class of antibiotics that could replace carbapenems. The NDM-1 gene can be transferred between different types of bacteria. If it ends up in a trunk that is resistant to all antibiotics and easily spreads among patients, it would be a serious threat to human health.