cephalosporin
Meaning of cephalosporin: Cephalosporins are a large class of antibiotics related to penicillins, grouped into generations with differing ranges of bacterial coverage.
Definition of cephalosporin
A cephalosporin is any of a large class of antibiotics related structurally to penicillins, sharing a similar core chemical ring that works by interfering with bacteria's ability to build their protective cell wall.
Cephalosporins are grouped into generations, broadly from first to more recent, and each generation tends to differ in which bacteria it covers most effectively, with later generations generally offering broader activity against certain bacteria while sometimes covering others less well.
Cephalosporins are used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections, including infections of the skin, respiratory tract, urinary tract, and bloodstream, and because they share some structural similarity with penicillins, a portion of people allergic to penicillin can also react to certain cephalosporins, though the degree of cross reactivity varies.
Used in a sentence
A cephalosporin was prescribed to treat the patient's skin infection.
Good to know
Cephalosporins share some structural similarity with penicillins, so a penicillin allergy does not automatically predict a reaction to a given cephalosporin, and the specific drugs involved matter.
Word origin
Where “cephalosporin” comes from
Formed from Greek kephale, meaning head, referring to Cephalosporium, the fungus from which the first cephalosporin antibiotic was isolated.