Glycopeptide Antibiotic Vancomycin Concept for NEET/AIIMS/USMLE/FMGE/PLAB
Glycopeptides:
• This class contains the most commonly used drug vancomycin and others like teicoplanin, dalbavancin, telavancin and oritavancin.
• Glycopeptides inhibit d-alanine because of which peptide bond cannot be formed with glycine and crosslinking is inhibited.
• They have a large molecular size and hence have poor oral absorption and poor penetration through capsule of gram negatives. Thus, these are used only for gram positive organisms.
Vancomycin
• Intravenous vancomycin is the drug of choice for treatment of systemic MRSA infection (sepsis and endocarditis), enterococcus faecium and ampicillin resistant enterococcus faecalis.
• Oral vancomycin is drug of choice for treatment of pseudomembranous enterocolitis.
• Vancomycin can cause nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. It stimulates histamine release, which causes vasodilation, flushing and a red discoloration of patient known as red man syndrome.