1. Noun. Any of a class of antibiotics derived from nalidixic acid. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of Fluoroquinolone
1. A new class of antibiotics with a broad spectrum of activity. They are well-absorbed orally, with good tissue penetration and relatively long duration of effect. These agents bind to DNA and impair its replication.
They are synthetic antimicrobial agents with the characteristic 4-quinolone ring structure and containing a fluorine moiety at the 6-position. Some members also have a 1-piperazinyl group at the 7-position. Fluoroquinolone agents have greater intrinsic antibacterial activity and a broader antibacterial spectrum than the quinolone agents.
Examples include: ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, cinoxacin, lomefloxacin, enoxacin and ofloxacin.
(20 Jun 2000)
