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Ampicillin is an antibiotic used to prevent and treat a number of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, meningitis, salmonellosis, and endocarditis. It may also be used to prevent group B streptococcal infection in newborns. It is used by mouth, by injection into a muscle, or intravenously.Like all antibiotics, it is not useful for the treatment of viral infections.


 Ampicillin is a semi-synthetic derivative of penicillin, active as a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It is inactivated by beta-lactamases and for this reason a beta-lactamase inhibitor should be considered when using ampicillin. Against gram-positive bacteria, ampicillin has a similar mode of action as benzylpenicillin; against gram-negative bacteria, it has a similar mode of action as chloramphenicol and tetracyclines. In E. coli it inhibits cell wall synthesis. Also described for the use of inhancing luminol chemiluminescence.