Author Description

The essence of this book is to describe the basic properties of antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents and to discuss the principles underlying the rational use of antimicrobial agents in the management of infection. The aim is to encourage good prescribing habits in doctors throughout the world. After a short historical introduction, the text deals with the general properties of antimicrobial compounds of all kinds (antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiprotozoal and anthelminthic agents); laboratory aspects of antimicrobial chemotherapy (including antibiotic interactions and use of the laboratory); resistance to antimicrobial agents (including mechanisms of resistance and the control of resistance); general principles of antibiotic usage (including pharmacokinetic issues, the prophylactic use of antibiotics, and special concerns of treatment of young children and the elderly) and the use of antimicrobial therapy in specific types of infection. There is a postscript on the development and marketing of antimicrobial agents.