Polymixins Flashcards
What are the polymixins?
Polymixin B
Polymixin E
How do polymixins work?
They are cationic detergents, they have hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions that allow them to disrupt membranes in gram negative bacteria
Where were polymixins isolated from?
Gram + bacteria
How are polymixins administered?
They are water soluble polypeptides so they can be given IV/IM
They are given orally for bowel decontamination and topical administration
What are polymixins used to treat?
Used in resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa and other gram - bacteria
What toxicities do you worry about with polymixins?
They are nephrotoxic with systemic use
(Systemic use limited to hospitals)
Also systemic absorption can cause nausea, vomiting, renal tubule membrane damage, and superinfections with fungi
Why are they formulated with Bacitracin?
They are found in topical formulations with bacitracin bc bacitracin targets gram + and polymixin B target gram -
