Clavulanic acid

Clavulanic acid is a beta-lactamase inhibitor that is frequently combined with Amoxicillin or Ticarcillin to fight antibiotic resistance by preventing their degradation by beta-lactamase enzymes, broadening their spectrum of susceptible bacterial infections. Clavulanic acid is derived from the organism Streptomyces clavuligerus.When it is combined with amoxicillin, clavulanic acid is frequently known as Augmentin, Co-Amoxiclav, or Clavulin.

Clavulanic acid combined with other antibiotics is indicated to prevent the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria and promotes their therapeutic antibacterial effects.

The following conditions, when they produced beta-lactamases, have been treated with a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid or ticarcillin and clavulanic acid:

Acute otitis media caused by H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis

Sinusitis due to H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis

Lower respiratory tract infections due to Haemophilus influenzae, S.aureus, Klebsiella species, and Moraxella catarrhalis

Skin and skin structure infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella species

Urinary Tract Infections due to E. coli, Klebsiella species of bacteria, and Enterobacter species of bacteria, S.marcescens, or S.aureus

Gynecologic infections due to a variety of bacteria, including P.melaninogenicus, Enterobacter species, E.Coli species, Klebsiella species, S. aureus, S.epidermidis

Septicemia due to a variety of bacteria, including Klebsiella species, E.Coli species, S.aureus, or Pseudomonas species

Bone and joint infections due to S.aureus

Intraabdominal infections due to E.Coli, K.pnemoniae, or B.fragilis group

A note on susceptibility

It should be noted that it is only to be administered in infections that are confirmed or highly likely to be caused by susceptible bacteria. Culture and susceptibility tests should be performed if possible and used in selecting whether this antibiotic is prescribed. When beta-lactamase enzyme production is not detected during microbiological testing, clavulanic acid should not be used. When these tests are not available patterns of local infection and susceptibility may be used to determine the appropriateness of using clavulanic acid. Ticarcillin with clavulanate has shown particular efficacy in mixed infections in addition to empiric therapy before determining the susceptibility of causative organisms. The ticarcillin-clavulanic acid combination may prove to be an effective single-agent antibiotic therapy to treat infections where a regimen of several drugs may normally be used.