Ampicillin, << `am` puh SIHL ihn, >> is a drug used to treat infections caused by certain bacteria. It is an antibiotic (drug produced by microbes). It belongs to the penicillin group of drugs and is a semisynthetic penicillin.
Ampicillin can kill some bacteria that are not effectively killed by penicillin G, one of the most widely used forms of penicillin. For example, ampicillin is used against Salmonella bacteria, which cause a form of food poisoning. The drug is also effective in treating severe ear and sinus infections, meningitis in children, and urinary and respiratory tract infections.
Some people who take ampicillin suffer side effects. In most cases, the side effects are minor, such as rashes. But some people who take the drug by mouth develop diarrhea. In such cases, physicians prescribe a semisynthetic penicillin called amoxicillin, which produces fewer side effects involving the stomach and intestines.
Ampicillin was introduced in 1961. Since then, its effectiveness has decreased as some of the bacteria that were once killed by the drug have developed a resistance to it.
