Short name to Full name of  Antibiotic name

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

cDNA (complementary DNA)

RNA (ribonucleic acid)

cRNA (complementary RNA)

RNase (ribonuclease)

DNase (deoxyribonuclease)

rRNA (ribosomal RNA)

mRNA (messenger RNA)

tRNA (transfer RNA)

AMP, ADP, ATP, dAMP, ddATP, and GTP, etc. (for the respective 5′ phosphates of adenosine and other nucleosides) (add 2′-, 3′-, or 5′- when needed for contrast)

ATPase and dGTPase, etc. (adenosine triphosphatase and deoxyguanosine triphosphatase, etc.)

NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)

NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, oxidized)

NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced)

NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate)

NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced)

NADP+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, oxidized)

poly(A) and poly(dT), etc. (polyadenylic acid and polydeoxythymidylic acid, etc.)

oligo(dT), etc. (oligodeoxythymidylic acid, etc.)

UV (ultraviolet)

PFU (plaque-forming units)

CFU (colony-forming units)

MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration)

Tris (tris[hydroxymethyl]aminomethane)

DEAE (diethylaminoethyl)

EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)

EGTA (ethylene glycol-bis[β-aminoethyl ether]-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid)

HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N′-2-ethanesulfonic acid)

PCR (polymerase chain reaction)

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)

Abbreviations for cell lines (e.g., HeLa) also need not be defined.

 

The following abbreviations should be used without definition in tables:

 

amt (amount)

approx (approximately)

avg (average)

concn (concentration)

diam (diameter)

expt (experiment)

exptl (experimental)

ht (height)

mo (month)

mol wt (molecular weight)

no. (number)

prepn (preparation)

SD (standard deviation)

SE (standard error)

SEM (standard error of the mean)

sp act (specific activity)

sp gr (specific gravity)

temp (temperature)

vol (volume)

vs (versus)

wk (week)

wt (weight)

yr (year)

Drugs and pharmaceutical agents. Should an author decide to abbreviate the names of antimicrobial agents in a manuscript, the following standard abbreviations are strongly recommended.

 

(i) Antibacterial agents. Use the indicated abbreviations for the following antibacterial agents.

 

arbekacin (ABK)

amikacin (AMK)

amoxicillin (AMX)

amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (AMC)

ampicillin (AMP)

ampicillin-sulbactam (SAM)

apramycin (APR)

azithromycin (AZM)

azlocillin (AZL)

aztreonam (ATM)

bezlotoxumab (BEZ)

carbenicillin (CAR)

cefaclor (CEC)

cefadroxil (CFR)

cefamandole (FAM)

cefazolin (CFZ)

cefdinir (CDR)

cefditoren (CDN)

cefepime (FEP)

cefetamet (FET)

cefiderocol (FDC)

cefixime (CFM)

cefmetazole (CMZ)

cefonicid (CID)

cefoperazone (CFP)

cefotaxime (CTX)

cefotetan (CTT)

cefoxitin (FOX)

cefpodoxime (CPD)

cefprozil (CPR)

ceftaroline (CPT)

ceftazidime (CAZ)

ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA)

ceftibuten (CTB)

ceftizoxime (ZOX)

ceftobiprole (BPR)

ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T)

ceftriaxone (CRO)

cefuroxime (axetil or sodium) (CXM)

cephalexin (LEX)

cephalothin (CEF)

cephapirin (HAP)

cephradine (RAD)

chloramphenicol (CHL)

cinoxacin (CIN)

ciprofloxacin (CIP)

clarithromycin (CLR)

clindamycin (CLI)

colistin (CST)

dalbavancin (DAL)

daptomycin (DAP)

delafloxacin (DLX)

dicloxacillin (DCX)

dirithromycin (DTM)

doripenem (DOR)

doxycycline (DOX)

enoxacin (ENX)

eravacycline (ERV)

ertapenem (ETP)

erythromycin (ERY)

fleroxacin (FLE)

fosfomycin (FOF)

fusidic acid (FA)

gatifloxacin (GAT)

gentamicin (GEN)

grepafloxacin (GRX)

iclaprim (ICL)

imipenem (IPM)

imipenem-relebactam (I-R)

kanamycin (KAN)

lefamulin (LEF)

levofloxacin (LVX)

linezolid (LZD)

lomefloxacin (LOM)

loracarbef (LOR)

meropenem (MEM)

meropenem-vaborbactam (MVB)

methicillin (MET)

mezlocillin (MEZ)

minocycline (MIN)

moxalactam (MOX)

moxifloxacin (MXF)

nafcillin (NAF)

nalidixic acid (NAL)

neomycin (NEO)

netilmicin (NET)

nitrofurantoin (NIT)

norfloxacin (NOR)

ofloxacin (OFX)

omadacycline (OMC)

oritavancin (ORI)

oxacillin (OXA)

penicillin (PEN)

piperacillin (PIP)

piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP)

plazomicin (PLZ)

polymyxin B (PMB)

quinupristin-dalfopristin (Synercid) (Q-D)

rifabutin (RFB)

rifampin (RIF)

rifapentine (RFP)

sparfloxacin (SPX)

spectinomycin (SPT)

streptomycin (STR)

tedizolid (TZD)

teicoplanin (TEC)

telavancin (TLV)

telithromycin (TEL)

tetracycline (TET)

ticarcillin (TIC)

ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (TIM)

tigecycline (TGC)

tobramycin (TOB)

trimethoprim (TMP)

trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT)

trovafloxacin (TVA)

vancomycin (VAN)

(ii) β-Lactamase inhibitors. Use the indicated abbreviations for the following β-lactamase inhibitors.

 

avibactam (AVI)

clavulanic acid (CLA)

relebactam (REL)

sulbactam (SUL)

tazobactam (TZB)

vaborbactam (VAB)

(iii) Antifungal agents. Use the indicated abbreviations for the following antifungal agents.

 

amphotericin B (AMB)

anidulafungin (AFG)

caspofungin (CAS)

clotrimazole (CLT)

flucytosine (5FC)

fluconazole (FLC)

isavuconazole (ISA)

itraconazole (ITC)

ketoconazole (KTC)

micafungin (MFG)

nystatin (NYT)

posaconazole (POS)

terbinafine (TRB)

valganciclovir (VAL)

voriconazole (VRC)

(iv) Antiviral agents. Use the indicated abbreviations for the following antiviral agents.

 

abacavir (ABC)

acyclovir (ACV)

adefovir dipivoxil (ADV)

amantadine (AMT)

amprenavir (APV)

asunaprevir (ASV)

atazanavir (ATV)

beclabuvir (BCV)

boceprevir (BOC)

brivudine (BVDU)

cidofovir (CDV)

cobicistat (COBI)

daclatasvir (DCV)

darunavir (DRV)

dasabuvir (DAS)

delavirdine (DLV)

didanosine (ddI)

dolutegravir (DTG)

efavirenz (EFV)

elbasvir (EBR)

elvitegravir (EVG)

emtricitabine (FTC)

enfuvirtide (EFV)

entecavir (ETV)

etravirine (ETR)

famciclovir (FCV)

favipiravir (FPV)

fomivirsen (FMV)

fosamprenavir (FPV)

foscarnet (PFA)

ganciclovir (GCV)

grazoprevir (GZR)

idoxuridine (IDU)

imiquimod (IQM)

indinavir (IDV)

interferon alfa (IFNα)

interferon alfacon 1 (CIFN)

lamivudine (3TC)

laninamivir octanoate (LO)

ledipasvir (LDV)

lopinavir (LPV)

lopinavir-ritonavir (LPV/r)

maraviroc (MVC)

nelfinavir (NFV)

nevirapine (NVP)

ombitasvir (OBV)

oseltamivir (OTV)

palivizumab (PZ)

paritaprevir (PTV)

pegylated interferon alfa (PegIFNα)

penciclovir (PCV)

peramivir (PRV)

podofilox (PDX)

raltegravir (RAL)

respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin, intravenous (RSV-IGIV)

ribavirin (RBV)

rilpivirine (RPV)

rimantadine (RIM)

ritonavir (RTV)

saquinavir (SQV)

simeprevir (SMV)

sinecatechins (SINE)

sofosbuvir (SOF)

stavudine (d4T)

telaprevir (TVR)

telbivudine (LdT)

tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)

tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)

tipranavir (TPV)

trifluridine (TFT)

valacyclovir (VACV)

valganciclovir (VGCV)

vaniprevir (VPV)

varicella-zoster immunoglobulin (VZIG)

varicella-zoster immune globulin (VariZIG)

velpatasvir (VEL)

vidarabine (VDR)

zalcitabine (ddC)

zanamivir (ZAN)

zidovudine (AZT)

(v) Antimycobacterial agents. Use the indicated abbreviations for the following antimycobacterial agents.

 

bedaquiline (BDQ)

capreomycin (CAP)

clofazimine (CLO)

D-cycloserine (DCS)

delamanid (DMD)

ethambutol (EMB)

ethionamide (ETO)

isoniazid (INH)

para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS)