Enzymes produced by some bacteria that are responsible for their resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics like penicillins.
An enzyme that destroys the beta lactam ring of penicillin-like antibiotics and makes them ineffective.
Bacterial enzymes that render antibiotics containing beta-lactam rings, such as penicillins and cephalosporins, ineffective.
Encounter an enzyme commonly referred to as lactamase, which serves the function of inactivating antibiotic drugs, including penicillins. Bacteria that possess the ability to produce this enzyme exhibit resistance to treatment with these particular types of antibiotics. By neutralizing the efficacy of penicillins, lactamase provides bacteria with a means of evading the antimicrobial effects of these drugs. The emergence of lactamase-producing bacteria underscores the ongoing challenge of antibiotic resistance, necessitating the development of alternative treatment strategies and the judicious use of antibiotics to combat resistant bacterial infections effectively.
A bacterial enzyme that accounts for the major resistance mechanism to beta‐lactam antibiotics by opening the beta‐lactam ring of penicillins and cephalosporins.