A Clinician's Guide to Antibiotics

The antimicrobial substances which are active against bacteria are called antibiotics. They are most commonly used in treating and preventing bacterial infections as they kill and inhibit the growth of bacteria. Penicillin antibiotics are considered to be the first antibiotics which were found to be effective against several bacterial infections. Antibiotics play a significant role in empiric therapy and definitive therapy. Empiric therapy involves the use of a broad-spectrum antibiotic for the management of an infection for which the causative pathogen has not been identified. Definitive therapy is a therapy involving the use of a narrow-spectrum antibiotic. It is used in cases where the responsible pathogenic microorganism has already been identified. This book includes some of the vital pieces of work being conducted across the world, on various topics related to antibiotics. It will also provide interesting topics for research which interested readers can take up. The readers would gain knowledge that would broaden their perspective about antibiotics.