Definition

1. 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

1. antibacterial consisting of any of several synthetic organic compounds capable of inhibiting the growth of bacteria that require PABA