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Book

Antibiotics

Preeti Patel, Harrison R. Wermuth  1 , Chara Calhoun  2 , Gregory A. Hall  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Antibiotics

Preeti Patel et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Antibiotics are common agents used in modern healthcare. This was not always the case. From ancient times, people sought ways to treat those with infections. Dyes, molds, and even heavy metals were thought to hold promise for healing. Various microorganisms have medical significance, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Antibiotics are compounds that target bacteria and, thus, are intended to treat and prevent bacterial infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Preeti Patel declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Harrison Wermuth declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Chara Calhoun declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Gregory Hall declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Gould K. Antibiotics: from prehistory to the present day. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2016 Mar;71(3):572-5. - PubMed
    1. Pankey GA, Sabath LD. Clinical relevance of bacteriostatic versus bactericidal mechanisms of action in the treatment of Gram-positive bacterial infections. Clin Infect Dis. 2004 Mar 15;38(6):864-70. - PubMed
    1. Nemeth J, Oesch G, Kuster SP. Bacteriostatic versus bactericidal antibiotics for patients with serious bacterial infections: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2015 Feb;70(2):382-95. - PubMed
    1. Sy SK, Zhuang L, Derendorf H. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in antibiotic dose optimization. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol. 2016;12(1):93-114. - PubMed
    1. Onufrak NJ, Forrest A, Gonzalez D. Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Principles of Anti-infective Dosing. Clin Ther. 2016 Sep;38(9):1930-47. - PMC - PubMed

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