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lactam

lactam

1 8.0
A ring-shaped chemical part found in many antibiotics like penicillin
  • noun
  • /ˈlæk.tæm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lactama
  • We labeled individuals as having CA-MRSA if their isolates were resistant only to β-lactams and as HA-MRSA if resistance to additional antimicrobial classes was reported.
  • β-lactams
  • beta-lactams
  • lactam and macrolides

Examples

  • It appears that this slight shift was caused by a small number of skin or soft tissue infections that were resistant to drugs other than the β-lactams.

    Academic text (2010)
  • MRSA's virulence can be attributed to a plasmid (genetic material) that gives it the ability to reduce -lactam rings in choice antibiotics for Staphylococcus infections.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Macrolides and beta-lactam antibiotics have a favorable safety profile in pregnancy and provide adequate coverage for the most common organisms.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Gram-negative bacteria resistant to β-lactams are spreading worldwide.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Beta-lactams, macrolides, and quinolones are the most frequently recommended drugs for treating both acute and chronic sinusitis because they are associated with a low rate of resistance among respiratory pathogens.

    Academic text (2003)
  • According to specialists, in 70% of cases, Staphylococcus aureus does not respond to methicillin and other antibiotics of beta-lactams, such as penicillin, amoxicillin, oxacillin, etc.

    Blog text (2)
  • (n65) Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which causes gonorrhea, may be resistant to beta-lactams, spectinomycin, and tetracycline.

    Academic text (2000)
  • In the presence of β-lactam antimicrobial drugs, this transpeptidase substitutes an essential cross-linking step in the process of cell-wall building (2).

    Academic text (2012)
  • Because mycoplasmas, which do not have cell walls, are not susceptible to β-lactam antimicrobial drugs, macrolides are generally accepted as first-choice agents for treatment, especially in children.

    Academic text (2015)
  • lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin, are effective against a range of bacterial infections.

Surface Forms

lactam singular
lactams plural

Morphology

lactam = lact + am

A technical formation from the combining form 'lact-' (relating to lactic/milk) + chemical suffix '-am' that is not derivable by an average B1 learner from familiar English words.

Etymology

Lactam comes from the root lact- meaning 'milk' and the ending -am from 'amide', and you can see lact- in familiar words like lactose and lactation. So a lactam is a ring-shaped 'amide', a chemical part found in antibiotics such as penicillin, and the name helps you remember that specific chemical group.