antibiotic, antibiotic drug, wonder drug

a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that kills microorganisms and cures infections

• actinomycin — any of various red antibiotics isolated from soil bacteria
• amphotericin — an antibiotic and antifungal agent
• antimycin — a crystalline antibiotic active against various fungi
• antineoplastic antibiotic — an antibiotic drug used as an antineoplastic in chemotherapy
• aztreonam, Azactam — an antibiotic (trade name Azactam) used against severe infections; has minimal side effects
• bacitracin — a polypeptide antibiotic of known chemical structure effective against several types of Gram-positive organisms; usually applied locally
• carbomycin — a colorless basic antibiotic that inhibits the growth of Gram-positive organisms
• cephaloglycin, Kafocin — antibiotic related to cephalosporin but no longer in common use
• cephaloridine — a broad spectrum semisynthetic antibiotic produced by modifying cephalosporin
• cephalosporin, Mefoxin — one of several broad spectrum antibiotic substances obtained from fungi and related to penicillin (trade names Mefoxin); addition of side chains has produced semisynthetic antibiotics with greater antibacterial activity
• chloramphenicol, Chloromycetin — an oral antibiotic (trade name Chloromycetin) used to treat serious infections (especially typhoid fever)
• chloroquine — an antibiotic used to treat malaria and amebic dysentery and systemic lupus erythematosus
• chlortetracycline, Aureomycin — a yellow crystalline antibiotic (trade name Aureomycin) used to treat certain bacterial and rickettsial diseases
• ciprofloxacin, Cipro — an oral antibiotic (trade name Cipro) used against serious bacterial infections of the skin or respiratory tract of urinary tract or bones or joints
• cycloserine — an antibiotic that is especially active against the tubercle bacillus
• dihydrostreptomycin — antibiotic consisting of a hydrogenated form of streptomycin; used against tuberculosis and tularemia and Gram-negative organisms
• doxorubicin — an antibiotic used as an anticancer drug
• doxycycline, Vibramycin — an antibiotic derived from tetracycline that is effective against many infections
• erythromycin, Erythrocin, E-Mycin, Ethril, Ilosone, Pediamycin — an antibiotic (trade name Erythrocin or E-Mycin or Ethril or Ilosone or Pediamycin) obtained from the actinomycete Streptomyces erythreus; effective against many Gram-positive bacteria and some Gram-negative
• gentamicin, Garamycin — an antibiotic (trade name Garamycin) that is derived from an actinomycete; used in treating infections of the urinary tract
• gramicidin — an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium; used chiefly as an antiseptic in treating local infections produced by Gram-positive bacteria
• kanamycin, Kantrex — antibiotic (trade name Kantrex) used to treat severe infections
• lincomycin, Lincocin — antibiotic (trade name Lincocin) obtained from a Streptomyces bacterium and used in the treatment of certain penicillin-resistant infections
• mitomycin, Mutamycin — a complex of antibiotic substances obtained from a Streptomyces bacterium; one form (trade name Mutamycin) shows promise as an anticancer drug
• mycomycin — a highly unsaturated antibiotic acid obtained from an actinomycete
• neomycin, fradicin, Neobiotic — an antibiotic obtained from an actinomycete and used (as a sulphate; trade name Neobiotic) as an intestinal antiseptic in surgery
• novobiocin — an antibiotic obtained from an actinomycete and used to treat infections by gram-positive bacteria
• nystatin, Mycostatin, Nystan — an antifungal and antibiotic (trade names Mycostatin and Nystan) discovered in New York State; derived from soil fungi actinomycetes
• oxytetracycline, hydroxytetracycline, oxytetracycline hydrochloride, Terramycin — a yellow crystalline antibiotic (trademark Terramycin) obtained from a soil actinomycete; used to treat various bacterial and rickettsial infections
• penicillin — any of various antibiotics obtained from penicillium molds (or produced synthetically) and used in the treatment of various infections and diseases
• polymyxin — any of several toxic antibiotics obtained from a particular soil bacterium
• Primaxin — trade name for a parenteral antibiotic
• pyocyanase — a yellow-green mixture of antibiotics obtained from the bacillus of green pus
• pyocyanin — a toxic blue crystalline antibiotic found in green pus
• spectinomycin — an antibiotic used to treat gonorrhea
• streptomycin — an antibiotic produced by the actinomycete Streptomyces griseus and used to treat tuberculosis
• streptothricin — a basic antibiotic derived from a soil actinomycete
• subtilin — a polypeptide antibiotic (similar to bacitracin) obtained from a soil bacterium
• tobramycin, Nebcin — an antibiotic (trade name Nebcin) that is especially effective against gram-negative bacteria
• tyrocidine, tyrocidin — a basic polypeptide antibiotic derived from a soil bacterium; a major component of tyrothricin
• tyrothricin — a mixture of antibiotics applied locally to infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria
• vancomycin, Vancocin — an antibiotic (trade name Vancocin) effective against some bacterial infections
• viomycin, Viocin — a basic polypeptide antibiotic (trade name Viocin) administered intramuscularly (along with other drugs) in the treatment of tuberculosis

• antibacterial, antibacterial drug, bactericide — any drug that destroys bacteria or inhibits their growth