| vancomycin | <drug> Complex glycopeptide antibiotic produced by actinomycetes. Inhibits peptidoglycan synthesis. Active against many gram-positive bacteria. (18 Nov 1997) |
|---|---|
| vancomycin resistant enterococcus | A form of intestinal bacteria (formerly classed under streptococcus faecalis) which is not sensitive to the big gun antibiotic, vancomycin. This organism is usually only fatal in those who are, for reasons of age or infirmity, immunosuppressed. The pathology of the illness is exacerbated when haemosepsis (blood-stream infection) develops. (09 Oct 1997) |
| bacterial capsules | An envelope of loose gel surrounding a bacterial cell which is associated with the virulence of pathogenic bacteria. Some capsules have a well-defined border, whereas others form a slime layer that trails off into the medium. most capsules consist of relatively simple polysaccharides but there are some bacteria whose capsules are made of polypeptides. (12 Dec 1998) |
| brood capsules | Small hollow projections from the lining membrane of a hydatid cyst from which the scoleces arise. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capsules | Hard or soft, soluble containers of a suitable substance, for enclosing a dose of medicine, usually for oral administration. (12 Dec 1998) |