Definition of penicillinase in English:
penicillinase
noun ˌpɛnɪˈsɪlɪneɪzˌpenəˈsilənās
mass nounBiochemistry An enzyme which can inactivate penicillin, produced by certain bacteria.
the potential to produce penicillinase
count noun resistant to penicillinases
Example sentencesExamples
- Penicillin was first used in the early 1940s and by 1950, most Staphylococcus aureus organisms were resistant to the drug by virtue of elaboration of a penicillinase enzyme.
- These chemically modified penicillins have a side chain that inhibits the action of penicillinase.
- For example, the resistance to penicillin initially was due to production of an enzyme penicillinase by bacteria, antibiotics like cloxallin were developed which was resistant to penicillinase enzyme.
- A control gene regulates the production of an enzyme that destroys the antibiotic, e.g. penicillinase which destroys penicillin.
- After all, the resistant strain has the genetic information necessary to produce penicillinase, which is a complex chemical.