ABSTRACT
Ampicillin and ampicillin-like agents, such as amoxicillin, have many similar properties, but also some important differences. They are all semisynthetic penicillins derived from the penicillin nucleus, but differ in their bioavailability and pharmacokinetic features. The two key agents in this group are ampicillin and amoxicillin, in terms of both their individual properties and the fact that they have both been combined with the beta-lactamase inhibitors, sulbactam (see Chapter 15, Ampicillin–sulbactam) and clavulanic acid (see Chapter 14, Amoxicillin–clavulanic acid), respectively, to broaden their antibacterial spectrum of activity. Ampicillin and amoxicillin will be discussed in detail in this chapter, but information regarding the other, now unused ampicillin-like compounds is summarized in Table 5.1 because they have no special advantages over ampicillin/amoxicillin.
