Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Pocketbook

One of a series of pocketbooks designed to provide easily assimilable information on common medical issues. The concise texts are enhanced by tables and diagrams summarizing the essential information. This volume deals with antimicrobial therapy.

Preceded by: Antimicrobial chemotherapy / Roger Finch ... [et al.]. 6th ed. 2012.

Instilling good prescribing habits in young doctors is essential for the benefit of patients and to preserve the value of the antibiotic revolution that altered medical practice in the second half of the twentieth century. These concerns underlie the approach taken in the new edition of this successful book. The text provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the principles of antimicrobial chemotherapy as an aid to informed, rational prescribing. Care is taken to address all aspects of antimicrobial drug use, including those specific to developed and developing countries of the world. The authors are international experts with a long standing interest in the role of education as a means of promoting an understanding of the benefits and limitations of antimicrobial chemotherapy in physicians, surgeons and other health care workers. The book offers a structured approach to the subject in four themed sections, each of several chapters. A historical introduction is followed by a section outlining the basic properties of antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic and antiviral (including antiretroviral) drugs.The next section explains the various facets of antimicrobial drug resistance - which threatens to undermine the continued efficacy of antimicrobial agents - and effective ways of countering the threat. Therapeutic use is covered in two sections: one introduces readers to the general principles that inform the rational prescribing of antimicrobial drugs; the second deals with practicalities of the use of antimicrobial agents in specific clinical conditions. The book ends with a description of the ways in which drugs are developed and marketed. There are extensive recommendations for further reading.

Antimicrobial agents are essential for the treatment of life-threatening infections and for managing the burden of minor infections in the community. In addition, they play a key role in organ and bone marrow transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, artificial joint and heart valve surgery. Unlike other classes of medicines, they are vulnerable to resistance from mutations in target microorganisms, and their adverse effects may extend to other patients (increased risk of cross-infection). As a consequence, there is a constant requirement for new agents, as well as practices that ensure the continued effective prescribing of licensed agents. Public awareness and concerns about drug resistant organisms has led to widespread publicity and political action in the UK, Europe and worldwide. The control of drug resistance and the implementation of good prescribing practice are now legal requirements in the UK as a result of the UK Health Act (2008). These fundamental changes underscore the need for a thorough understanding of the advantages and risks associated with specific antibiotic choices. This sixth edition of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy continues to be a valuable resource for undergraduates and graduates requiring a thorough grounding in the scientific basis and clinical application of these drugs. This new edition is updated to include the most recently licensed agents, notably in the treatment of viral infections including HIV/AIDS, and contains new guidance on prescribing practice and infection control practices that limit the development and spread of resistant organisms.

Well-respected and widely regarded as the most comprehensive text in the field, Antibiotic and Chemotherapy, 9th Edition by Drs. Finch, Greenwood, Whitley, and Norrby, provides globally relevant coverage of all types of antimicrobial agents used in human medicine, including all antiviral, antiprotozoan and anthelminthic agents. Comprehensively updated to include new FDA and EMEA regulations, this edition keeps you current with brand-new information about antiretroviral agents and HIV, superficial and mucocutaneous myscoses and systemic infections, management of the immunocompromised patient, treatment of antimicrobial resistance, plus coverage of new anti-sepsis agents and host/microbe modulators. Reference is easy thanks to a unique 3-part structure covering general aspects of treatment; reviews of every agent; and details of treatments of particular infections. Offer the best possible care and information to your patients about the increasing problem of multi-drug resistance and the wide range of new antiviral therapies now available for the treatment of HIV and other viral infections. Stay current with 21 new chapters including the latest information on superficial and mucocutaneous mycoses, systemic infections, anti-retroviral agents, and HIV. Get fresh perspectives and insights thanks to 21 newly-authored and extensively re-written chapters. Easily access information thanks to a unique 3-part structure covering general aspects of treatment; reviews of every agent; and details of treatments of particular infections. Apply the latest treatments for anti-microbial organisms such as MRSA, and multi-drug resistant forms of TB, malaria and gonorrhea. Keep up on the latest FDA and EMEA regulations.