Antibiotic Susceptibility Tests are conducted in microbiological laboratories to study the effect of an antibiotic on the growth of a microbe. The most common method to study antibiotic susceptibility includes the Kirby-Bauer Method. In this method, small discs saturated with antibiotic is placed on the plate containing the bacteria. A zone of inhibition of growth around the disc is observed to study the susceptibility of the microbe to the antibiotic. Amphotericin-B is a product by Micromaster. This is an antifungal antibiotic and also has activity against leishmaniasis. It is administered for the treatment of blastomycosis, aspergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococcosis, etc. The drug is naturally isolated from Streptomyces nodosus. Some of the fungi which are susceptible to this drug are Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus terreus, Candida albicans, Candida lusitaniae, Fusarium oxysporum, etc. Amphotericin exerts its antifungal properties by binding to ergosterol. This compound forms a part of the cell membrane of the fungus. This binding causes pore formation in the cell membrane, followed by rapid efflux of monovalent ions such as potassium, sodium, hydrogen and chloride and ultimately leads to fungal cell death. Amphotericin has also been found to be able to create oxidative stress in the fungal cells.

Specifications:

Product name: Amphotericin-B

Brand: Micromaster

Molecular formula: C47H73NO17

Molecular mass: 924.091 g/mol