What is lincosamides used to treat?

Like the macrolides, lincosamides are primarily used to treat gram-positive bacterial infections (including β-lactamase-producing gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp.), in which there is resistance or intolerance to penicillins.

What is the meaning of lincosamides?

lincosamide, any agent in a class of antibiotics that are derived from the compound lincomycin and that inhibit the growth of bacteria by blocking bacterial protein synthesis.

Is clindamycin a lincosamides?

Clindamycin is a lincosamide antibiotic that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of anaerobic, streptococcal, and staphylococcal infections.

How do lincosamides inhibit protein synthesis?

The lincosamide antibiotics bind to the 50S subunit at a site that overlaps both the A and P sites on the ribosome, preventing the docking of charged tRNAs and their movement through the peptidyl transferase center, thus inhibiting the formation of protein.

When are lincosamides used?

The lincosamides are indicated for infections caused by susceptible gram-positive organisms, particularly streptococci and staphylococci, and for those caused by anaerobic pathogens. Clindamycin is approved for use in cats and dogs for treatment of infected wounds, abscesses, and dental infections.

What is the difference between lincomycin and clindamycin?

Clindamycin is usually more active than lincomycin in the treatment of bacterial infections, in particular those caused by anaerobic species; and it can also be used for the treatment of important protozoal diseases, e.g. malaria, most effectively in combination with primaquine.

Is Lincosamides bacteriostatic or bactericidal?

Lincosamides are bacteriostatic agents; they prevent bacterial replication by interfering with the protein synthesis and may also demonstrate bactericidal (kill bacteria) activity against certain organisms at high antibiotic concentrations.

Are Lincosamides narrow or broad spectrum?

The two established members of the group of antibiotics known as the lincosamides, lincomycin and its semisynthetic derivative clindamycin, have a narrow antibacterial spectrum involving mostly Gram-positive species and some obligate anerobes, such as Bacteroides.