A beta-lactamase is an enzyme produced by certain bacteria, which is responsible for their resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics.
Ampicillin class C beta lactamase
Beta-lactamase inhibitors, protect the penicillin from bacterial enzymes that may destroy it before it can do its work.
Some bacteria produce beta lactamase enzyme, this enzyme will break the beta lactam ring structure of certain antibiotics (penicillin, cephalexin for example) rendering them ineffective against the infection. If you add a beta lactamase inhibitor to a beta lactam antibiotic (i.e clavulanaic acid added to amoxicillin) it decreases the potential of the bacteria to inactivate the antibiotic.
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Co-amoxiclav is an approved British name for the combination antibiotic containing compounds such as amoxicillin trihydrate, a beta-lactam antibiotic, with potassium clavulanate, and a beta-lactamase inhibitor. The combination yields an antibiotic with an increased spectrum of action and restored efficacy against amoxicillin-resistant bacteria that produce beta-lactamase.
If you are wondering what is the name of a drug that contains amoxicillin - one would be Augmentin. This is made of amoxicillin and clavulanate. Clavulanate is what is referred to as a 'beta lactamase inhibitor' and this allows amoxicillin to be effective against drug-resistant bacteria that produce beta lactamase. Words ending in -ase are generally enzymes that are going to break something down. The penicillin family of antibiotics are called 'beta lactams' due to their structure. Some bacteria have developed beta lactamase in order to break down these antibiotics, thereby becoming a drug-resistant bacteria.
Beta-lactamases are enzymes produced by bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria can produce beta-lactamases. This type of bacteria takes up the crystal violet stain in gram staining.
Beta lactamase is an enzyme, which is produced by some bacteria. This enzyme brakes the beta lactum ring that is present in beta lactum antibiotics. You have four groups in beta-lactum antibiotics. They are penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactums and carbapenems. So you naturally have the enzymes penicillinase, cephalospoinase, monobactamase and carbapenamase. Whether they are one and the same enzyme or four different enzymes is not clear to the contributor and needs comment by expert in this field.
They all have a beta-lactam ring. This is important, because the enzyme beta-lactamase cleaves this ring, causing the anti-biotic to lose its effect.