Erythromycin belongs to which antibiotic class?

Erythromycin belongs to which antibiotic class?

• A. Beta-lactam
• B. Macrolide
• C. Aminoglycoside
• D. Tetracycline

Answer: (B)

Erythromycin is a macrolide, a class defined by a large macrocyclic lactone ring. Macrolides work by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit and blocking the translocation step of protein synthesis, preventing elongation of the growing peptide chain. This mechanism makes them typically bacteriostatic and especially effective against many Gram-positive bacteria and atypical pathogens like Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, and Legionella. In contrast, agents that disrupt cell wall synthesis (beta-lactams) operate differently, while aminoglycosides target the 30S subunit to cause misreading of mRNA, and tetracyclines also bind the 30S but prevent tRNA attachment.

Erythromycin is a macrolide, a class defined by a large macrocyclic lactone ring. Macrolides work by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit and blocking the translocation step of protein synthesis, preventing elongation of the growing peptide chain. This mechanism makes them typically bacteriostatic and especially effective against many Gram-positive bacteria and atypical pathogens like Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, and Legionella. In contrast, agents that disrupt cell wall synthesis (beta-lactams) operate differently, while aminoglycosides target the 30S subunit to cause misreading of mRNA, and tetracyclines also bind the 30S but prevent tRNA attachment.