A fluoroquinolone antibiotic that kills bacteria by interfering with their DNA replication. It's effective against a wide range of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, commonly used for urinary tract infections and certain serious infections.
From 'cipro-' (possibly from Cyprus, where early research occurred) + 'floxacin', the standard suffix for fluoroquinolone antibiotics developed in the 1980s. The 'flox' portion relates to fluorine and quinolone structure.
Ciprofloxacin was stockpiled by governments worldwide after the 2001 anthrax attacks because it's one of the few oral antibiotics effective against weaponized anthrax! However, it can cause serious tendon ruptures, especially in older adults, leading to FDA black box warnings.
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