Carbapenem Antibiotics
Carbapenems are a class of medication that have the broadest antibacterial spectrum compared to other beta-lactam classes such as penicillins and cephalosporins. Additionally they are generally resistant to the typical bacterial beta-lactamase enzymes, which are one of the principal beta-lactam resistance mechanisms of bacteria. Carbapenems are one of the antibiotics of last resort for many serious bacterial infections, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumonia.