Newer penicillins and beta-lactamase inhibitors.

The penicillins continue to be important antibiotics for the treatment and prophylaxis of many infectious diseases. The emergence of resistant microorganism has led to the development of newer penicillin compounds that have extended spectrums of antimicrobial activity. Beta-lactamase production by many pathogenic bacteria is the most common and clinically relevant mechanism of antibiotic resistance. The addition of beta-lactamase inhibitors to penicillin antibiotics has proven to be successful in preventing the inactivation of the parent penicillin compound by the more commonly produced beta-lactamase enzymes.