Rise of Cephalosporins
The cephalosporin class of antibiotics was first discovered in the 1940s and gained prominence in the following decades. British scientist Edward Abraham isolated cephalosporin C from a fungus in Sardinia in 1945. This led to the development of the first oral cephalosporin drug, cephalexin, in the 1960s. Since then, successive generations of cephalosporins have been developed with improved spectra of activity against bacteria. The main advantage of cephalosporins over penicillin is their effectiveness against additional types of bacteria, including some penicillin-resistant organisms. They rapidly rose to become one of the most commonly prescribed classes of antibiotics worldwide.
Generations of Cephalosporins
Cephalosporins are classified into generations based on their spectrum of bacterial coverage and year of development. First-generation cephalosporins like cephalexin are effective against gram-positive cocci but vulnerable to certain gram-negative bacilli. Second-generation Cephalosporin Drugs like cefuroxime added activity against gram-negative organisms. Third-generation cephalosporins like cefotaxime and ceftriaxone achieved coverage of multiple gram-negative bacilli. Fourth-generation drugs like cefepime have an even broader spectrum encompassing resistant gram-negative pathogens. Each successive generation was designed to overcome resistance seen with previous agents.
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