Other names: fluoroquinolones
Quinolones are a type of antibiotic. Antibiotics kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria.
There are five different quinolone classes. In addition, another class of antibiotic, called fluoroquinolones, were derived from quinolones by modifying their structure with fluorine. Quinolones and fluoroquinolones have many things in common, but also a few differences such as what organisms they are effective against. Some people use the words quinolones and fluoroquinolones interchangeably.
Quinolones and fluoroquinolones detrimentally affect the function of two enzymes produced by bacteria, topoisomerase IV and DNA gyrase, so that they can no longer repair DNA or help in its manufacture.