Antibiotic
cefoxitin
[ suh-fok-si-tin ]
Brand Names:
Mefoxin
Effect:
Decreased Cell Wall Synthesis & Repair
May Prevent:
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Surgical Wound Infection
May Treat:
Abscess; Bacteroides Infections; Bone Diseases, Infectious; Clostridium Infections; Escherichia coli Infections; Gonorrhea; Haemophilus Infections; Klebsiella Infections; Peritonitis; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Proteus Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Sepsis; Skin Diseases, Bacterial; Soft Tissue Infections; Staphylococcal Infections; Streptococcal Infections; Surgical Wound Infection; Urinary Tract Infections
More Information:
ChemID; DrugBank; DailyMed; PDR
Definitions related to cefoxitin:
  • A semisynthetic cephamycin antibiotic resistant to beta-lactamase.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • A semisynthetic, broad-spectrum, second-generation cephalosporin with antibacterial activity. Cefoxitin binds to and inactivates penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) located on the inner membrane of the bacterial cell wall. PBPs are enzymes involved in the terminal stages of assembling the bacterial cell wall and in reshaping the cell wall during growth and division. Inactivation of PBPs interferes with the cross-linkage of peptidoglycan chains necessary for bacterial cell wall strength and rigidity. This results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and causes cell lysis.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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