[Aminoglycoside antibiotics: chemistry, modifying enzymes, present therapeutic values and recent developments].

This review article outlines the chemical structures and the location of the enzymatic inactivation sites which are sensitive to bacterial enzymes of aminoglycoside antibiotics. The distribution of these enzymes in different bacterial genera are also discussed. It is also noted that ineffectiveness of a new antibiotic may be due to the presence of preexisting inactivating enzymes. The great importance of these must be taken into an account before deciding to introduce a new drug into the therapy of local pathogens. Some new methods, like chemical alterations, are now available which renders aminoglycoside antibiotics to be resistant against these enzymes.