[Post-antibiotic effect and clinical significance]

Abstract

The postantibiotic effect (PAE) is the phenomenon of suppression of bacterial growth after brief antimicrobial exposure to microorganisms. The presence of PAE may be an important consideration in designing antibiotic dosage regimens. Antimicrobials with minimal or lesser PAEs may require serum concentration above MIC or entire dosing interval. Several antimicrobial actions are affected on the PAE phase, eg. "postantibiotic sub-MIC effect". Moreover, the PAE may contribute to the efficacy on host-parasite relationship. This phenomenon is discussed.