sulfa drug
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Definition
- Noun:
- A type of antibacterial medicine: A sulfa drug is a synthetic antibacterial agent. It belongs to a class of drugs derived from sulfanilamide.
- Mechanism of action: Sulfa drugs work by inhibiting the growth of bacteria that require para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) for synthesizing folic acid, which is essential for their survival.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The doctor prescribed a sulfa drug to treat the bacterial infection.
- Before penicillin became widely available, sulfa drugs were the primary treatment for many infections.
- Some patients may have an allergic reaction to a sulfa drug.
Advanced Usage
- "Sulfa therapy": Refers to treatment using sulfa drugs.
- The patient's condition improved significantly after a course of sulfa therapy.
- "Sulfa allergy": Describes an adverse immune reaction to sulfonamide drugs.
- It is crucial to inform your doctor if you have a known sulfa allergy.
Variants and Related Words
- Sulfonamide (n): The chemical class to which sulfa drugs belong; often used interchangeably with "sulfa drug."
- Sulfonamides were a major breakthrough in chemotherapy against bacterial diseases.
- Sulfanilamide (n): The parent compound from which many sulfa drugs are derived.
- Antibacterial (n/adj): A general term for a substance that kills or inhibits bacteria.
Synonyms
- Sulfonamide
- Sulfa (informal abbreviation)
Related Phrases
- "Sulfa-based antibiotic": A phrase specifying the antibiotic class.
- The infection was resistant to penicillin but responded to a sulfa-based antibiotic.
Noun
- antibacterial consisting of any of several synthetic organic compounds capable of inhibiting the growth of bacteria that require PABA