Sulfonamide Anti-Infective Agent

**Semantic type:** Chemical Viewed Functionally

**Definition:** A class of natural or synthetic sulfanilamide derivatives with antibacterial activity. Sulfonamides are structural analogs of para-aminobenzoic acid (essential for microbial folate synthesis). Sulfonamides inhibit bacterial metabolism by competing with PABA for dihydropteroate synthase, thereby resulting in disruption of folic acid metabolism and ultimately DNA synthesis.

**Synonyms:** - Sulfonamides - sulfa drug - sulfonamide