Index >> Bacterial Cheomotherapy >>Macrolides

Macrolides - The macrolide antibiotics are produced by various species of Streptomyces. They are a group of structurally related compounds containing a large lactone ring of 12-22 atoms. The ring does not contain any nitrogen atoms and has few or no double bonds. One or more sugars are attached to the lactone ring.

Macrolides are active against prokaryotes, but yeasts, Protozoa and animal cells are generally resistant. They bind to a common site on the 50S subunit, and produce conformational changes in the ribosome. Some macrolide-resistant bacterial mutants have 50S subunits with altered affinity for the antibiotics. Examples of macrolides are niddamy­cin, carbomycin, spiramycin III, tylosin and erythromycin.