Amikacin is an antibiotic medication used for a number of bacterial infections. This includes joint infections, intra-abdominal infections, meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis, and urinary tract infections. It is also used for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. It is used by injection into a vein using an IV or into a muscle. Amikacin, like other aminoglycoside antibiotics, can cause hearing loss, balance problems, and kidney problems. Other side effects include paralysis, resulting in the inability to breathe. If used during pregnancy it may cause permanent deafness in the baby. Amikacin works by blocking the function of the bacteria's 30S ribosomal subunit, making it unable to produce proteins. Amikacin was patented in 1971, and came into commercial use in 1976. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is derived from kanamycin. Medical uses Amikacin is most often used for treating severe infections with multidrug-resistant, aerobic Gram-negative bacteria, especially Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, E. coli, Proteus, Klebsiella, and Serratia. The only Gram-positive bacteria that amikacin strongly affects are Staphylococcus and Nocardia. Amikacin can also be used to treat non-tubercular mycobacterial infections and tuberculosis (if caused by sensitive strains) when first-line drugs fail to control the infection. It is rarely used alone. It is often used in the following situations: Bronchiectasis Bone and joint infections Granulocytopenia, when combined with ticarcillin, in people with cancer Intra-abdominal infections (such as peritonitis) as an adjunct to other medicines, like clindamycin, metronidazole, piperacillin/tazobactam, or ampicillin/sulbactam Meningitis: for meningitis by E. coli, as an adjunct to imipenem for meningitis caused by Pseudomonas, as an adjunct to meropenem for meningitis caused by Acetobacter, as an adjunct to imipenem or colistin for neonatal meningitis caused by Streptococcus agalactiae or Listeria monocytogenes, as an adjunct to ampicillin for neonatal meningitis caused by Gram negative bacteria such as E. coli, as adjunct to a 3rd-generation cephalosporin Mycobacterial infections, including as a second-line agent for active tuberculosis. It is also used for infections by Mycobacterium avium, M. abcessus, M. chelonae, and M. fortuitum. Rhodococcus equi, which causes an infection resembling tuberculosis Respiratory tract infections, including as an adjunct to beta-lactams or carbapenem for hospital-acquired pneumonia Sepsis, including that in neonates, as an adjunct to beta-lactams or carbapenem Skin and suture-site infections Urinary tract infections that are caused by bacteria resistant to less toxic drugs (often by Enterobacteriaceae or P. aeruginosa) Amikacin may be combined with a beta-lactam antibiotic for empiric therapy