Antibacterial agents generally refer to drugs with bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity, including various antibiotics, sulfonamides, imidazoles, nitroimidazoles, quinolones, and other chemically synthesized drugs. These include certain products obtained from the cultivation of microorganisms such as bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi, or similar substances manufactured using chemical semi-synthetic methods, and can also be chemically synthesized to the total extent. Antibacterial agents have inhibitory and bactericidal effects on pathogens at certain concentrations.
Antibacterial agents are mainly divided into eight classes, including β-lactams (penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, β-lactams containing enzyme inhibitors, and monocyclic amides); aminoglycosides; tetracyclines; fluoroquinolones; folic acid pathway inhibitors; chloramphenicol; glycopeptides (vancomycin and teicoplanin); and macrolides. The application of antibacterial agents requires rational selection based on different infectious diseases.