Bacteriostatic agent

Bacteriostatic antibiotics hamper the growth of bacteria by interfering with bacterial:

• Protein production,
• DNA replication,
• Cellular metabolism.

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Bacteriostatic antibiotics inhibit growth and reproduction of bacteria without killing them; killing is done by bactericidal agents. Bacteriostatic agents must work with the immune system to remove the microorganisms from the body. However, there is not always a precise distinction between them and bactericides; high concentrations of most bacteriostatic agents are also bactericidal, whereas low concentrations of bacteriocidal agents are only bacteriostatic.

This group includes the tetracyclines, sulphonamides, spectinomycin, trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, macrolides and lincosamides.