amoxicillan or penicillian

[hillside]

What is the main difference in amoxicillian and penicillian? When should one be given and not the other? Kind of confused. Appreciate all comments. Thank you, Hillside

 

[milkmaid]

Amoxicillin is a type of penicillin. The exact wording from the Merck Vet Manual...

Broad-spectrum β-Lactamase-sensitive Penicillins: Penicillins in this class are derived semisynthetically and are active against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. However, they are readily destroyed by the β-lactamases (produced by many bacteria). Many members of the group are acid stable and are administered either PO or parenterally. Of those used in veterinary medicine, aminopenicillins, eg, ampicillin and amoxicillin, are the best known. Several ampicillin precursors that are more completely absorbed from the GI tract also belong to this class (eg, hetacillin, pivampicillin, and talampicillin). Mecillinam is less active than ampicillin against gram-positive bacteria but is highly active against many intestinal organisms (except Proteus spp ) that do not produce β-lactamases.

and:

β-Lactamase-protected Broad-spectrum Penicillins (Potentiated penicillins): Several naturally occurring and semisynthetic compounds can inhibit many of the β-lactamase enzymes produced by penicillin-resistant bacteria. When used in combination with broad-spectrum penicillins, there is a notable synergistic effect because the active penicillin is protected from enzymatic hydrolysis—and thus is fully active against a wide variety of previously resistant bacteria. Examples of this novel chemotherapeutic approach include clavulanate-potentiated amoxicillin and ticarcillin as well as sulbactam-potentiated ampicillin.

Your head swimming yet? :lol2:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index ... 191102.htm


Basically, there's a lot of different classes of penicillin. The well-known Penicillin G (standard "penicillin" injection) is in a different class from amoxicillin. When you'd use one or the other would be dependent on what you're treating and the type of bacteria causing the problem.