Tag: 30s ribosomal subunit

Discovered in 1943, streptomycin was the first antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis, a milestone in infectious disease treatment. Its unique and potent mechanism of action makes it a bactericidal agent, and understanding what best describes the mechanism of action of the antibiotic streptomycin is crucial for its therapeutic use and understanding its effects.

First isolated in 1961 from the bacterium *Streptomyces spectabilis*, spectinomycin is a bacteriostatic antibiotic belonging to the aminocyclitol class. This article details what is the mechanism of action of spectinomycin, outlining how its unique binding to the bacterial ribosome prevents protein production and inhibits bacterial growth.

Aminoglycosides are one of the few classes of protein synthesis inhibitors that are bactericidal, not merely bacteriostatic. This powerful and rapid killing effect is primarily due to their irreversible binding to the bacterial ribosome, causing widespread cellular dysfunction.

Affecting between 10% and 25% of patients treated, nephrotoxicity is one of the most common adverse effects of aminoglycoside antibiotics, which are known for their potent bactericidal action against aerobic gram-negative bacteria. Understanding what is the mechanism of action of aminoglycosides is crucial to appreciate both their efficacy and their risks.

Aminoglycoside antibiotics exert their potent bactericidal effect by targeting the protein synthesis machinery of bacteria. A crucial question for understanding their mechanism is, where do aminoglycosides bind? The answer lies within the bacteria's 30S ribosomal subunit, a key component for translating genetic code into functional proteins.