Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

This book is intended to introduce students and young doctors to the principles of antimicrobial chemotherapy, and to foster good prescribing habits, which are essential if antibiotics are to retain their value for the future. Topics covered include the general properties of antimicrobial agents of all kinds (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic), laboratory aspects of antimicrobial chemotherapy, problems of resistance, general principles of treatment (including pharmacokinetic aspects and the special problems of children and the elderly), side effects, chemoprophylaxis, and the treatment of specific groups of infectious diseases. There is a useful postscript on the development of new antimicrobial drugs.