1st Generation Cephalosporins

Summary

First generation cephalosporins are beta lactam antibiotics.  There are two drug names of the first-generation cephalosporins that are important to remember: cefaZOLin and cephaLEXin. These antibiotics are active against gram-positive cocci like staph and strep bacteria. Because gram-positive cocci most commonly make up the skin flora, first generation cephalosporins are most often used for preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, to prevent wound infections caused by skin bacteria.

Key Points

• 1st Generation Cephalosporins
  • Drug Names
    • cefaZOLIN
    • cephaLEXIN
  • Mechanism
    • Same as other Cephalosporins (see: Cephalosporin Overview)
  • Clinical Use
    • Gram-positive cocci (e.g. Staph. spp., Strep spp.)
      • Used preoperatively to prevent wound infections by skin flora (e.g. S. aureus)
    • Proteus mirabilis
    • E. Coli
    • Klebsiella pneumoniae
  • Adverse Effects
    • Same as other Cephalosporins (see: Cephalosporin Overview)