Antibiotics Classification and Mechanism of Action

Author: Tamari Tabatadze
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial resistance, Bacteria, Mechanism of action
Annotation:

The discovery of penicillin in 1928 started the golden age of the discovery of natural antibiotics, which peaked in the 1950s. The introduction of antibiotics into clinical use was the greatest medical breakthrough of the 20th century. In addition to treating diseases caused by bacteria, antibiotics made many modern medical procedures possible. However, the rapid emergence of resistant bacteria is occurring worldwide, endangering the efficacy of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is caused by their irrational use as well as an increase in their number in animal feed and agriculture. Increasing bacterial resistance to virtually all available antibiotics causes an urgent need for new antimicrobial drugs. This review discusses the history of antibiotic discovery, their structure and classification based on chemical nature, their mechanism of action and antimicrobial resistance.