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Polymyxins | Open Access Journals
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Journal of Antimicrobial Agents

ISSN: 2472-1212

Open Access

Polymyxins

Polymyxins are antibiotics. Polymyxins B and E (also called colistin) are used to treat bacterial Gram-negative infections. They work mainly by breaking down the bacterial cell membrane. They are part of a larger class of molecules called non-tribosomal peptides.

 

Polymyxin antibiotics are relatively neurotoxic and nephrotoxic, so they are usually only used as a last resort if modern antibiotics are ineffective or contraindicated. Typical uses are for infections caused by strains of multiple drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa or enterobacteriaceae producing carbapenemases. Polymyxins have less effect on Gram positive organisms and are sometimes combined with other agents (such as trimethoprim / polymyxin) to broaden the effective spectrum.

Polymyxins B are not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, so they are only given by mouth if the goal is to disinfect the gastrointestinal tract. Another route of administration is chosen for systemic treatment, for example parenteral (often intravenously) or by inhalation. They are also used externally in the form of cream or drops to treat otitis  externa (swimmer's ear) and as a component of a triple antibiotic ointment to treat and prevent skin infections.

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