Antibacterial agents, their mechanism of action, spectrum of antibacterial activity, patterns of antibiotic resistance, and current clinical use are presented in this chapter. Fig. 292.1 summarizes the main sites of antibacterial agent activity. Chapter 289 provides the principles regarding the…
Acknowledgment The authors acknowledgment contributions of Michael D. Reed to this chapter in previous editions. As clinicians continuously strive to practice evidence-based medicine, the use of antibiotics can be frustratingly empiric. Ethical concerns, multiple confounding variables, and unclear endpoints hamper…
The selection of optimal antibiotic therapy for presumed bacterial infection is based on the assessment of the balance of benefits and risks of specific therapy for each child. Prescribing the right antibiotic(s) early in the course of a serious infection…
Acknowledgment The authors are indebted to Rachel C. Orscheln, Henry R. Shinefield, and Joseph W. St. Geme III, whose previous contributions to this chapter and clinical images provided the strong baseline framework and inspiration for the current version. Staphylococcal disease…
Chemoprophylaxis is prevention of disease by administration of an anti-infective drug product. An antimicrobial product is given to an individual who is at risk of developing an infection following exposure to bacteria, viruses, fungi, mycobacteria, or parasites. The term “prophylaxis”…