Oxytetracycline is a bacteriostatic antibiotic which inhibits protein synthesis in susceptible micro-organisms. It impairs the peptide elongation function of the ribosomes by binding to one of its binding sites, thereby preventing new amino acids from being incorporated into peptides. As a consequence, further growth and cell division in the microorganisms are suspended.
The spectrum of activity includes a large number of gram positive and gram negative bacteria (both aerobe and anaerobe), as well as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacteroides spp. and Fusobacterium spp.