Knowra Ethambutol Ethambutol Ethambutol is an antimycobacterial drug used with other medicines to treat tuberculosis. It inhibits arabinosyltransferases, disrupting formation of the mycobacterial cell wall.
Arabinosyltransferase : An enzyme that transfers arabinose units during the construction of arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan. Ethambutol inhibits these enzymes, interrupting key arabinan-building steps in the mycobacterial cell wall.
Tuberculosis treatment : The use of antimicrobial medicines to cure tuberculosis, prevent relapse, and limit transmission. Ethambutol is used as one component of multidrug treatment, not as a stand-alone tuberculosis cure.
Isoniazid : A first-line tuberculosis drug that inhibits synthesis of mycolic acids in mycobacteria. It targets a different cell-envelope pathway and is paired with ethambutol in initial treatment.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis : A slow-growing bacterium that causes most cases of tuberculosis. Ethambutol's target and clinical use are defined by this bacterium's cell envelope.
Arabinogalactan : A polysaccharide that links peptidoglycan to mycolic acids in the mycobacterial cell envelope. Its arabinan portion is a principal target of ethambutol's disruption of cell-wall assembly.
RIPE : The standard initial four-drug regimen for drug-susceptible tuberculosis: rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol. Ethambutol is the E in this initial regimen, pending drug-susceptibility results.
Rifampin : A rifamycin antibiotic that inhibits bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Its direct effect on transcription contrasts with ethambutol's interference in cell-wall construction.
Mycobacterial cell envelope : The layered structure surrounding mycobacteria, including peptidoglycan, arabinogalactan, and a mycolic-acid-rich outer membrane. Ethambutol disrupts construction of this distinctive protective structure.
Lipoarabinomannan : A major mycobacterial cell-envelope glycolipid composed of a mannan core and arabinan branches. Ethambutol's inhibition of arabinan synthesis can alter this cell-envelope component.
Tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing : Laboratory testing that determines whether a tuberculosis strain is susceptible to particular antimicrobial drugs. Results can guide whether ethambutol should remain in a patient's treatment regimen.
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