Bacteriostatic agent
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Bacteriostatic antibiotics hamper the growth of bacteria by interfering with bacterial:
- Protein production,
- DNA replication,
- Cellular metabolism.
Bacteriostatic antibiotics inhibit growth and reproduction of bacteria without killing them; killing is done by bactericidal agents. Bacteriostatic agents must work with the immune system to remove the microorganisms from the body. However, there is not always a precise distinction between them and bactericides; high concentrations of most bacteriostatic agents are also bactericidal, whereas low concentrations of bacteriocidal agents are only bacteriostatic.
This group includes the tetracyclines, sulphonamides, spectinomycin, trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, macrolides and lincosamides.