Medical Microbiology

188 3 GeneralBacteriology

therelationsbetweenananti-infectiveagent,thehostorganism,anda

bacterialpathogen.Table3. 4 listsfrequentlyusedanti-infectiveagents.

The most important groups (cephalosporins, penicillins, 4-quinolones,

macrolides,tetracyclines)areinboldprint.Fig.3. 29 presentsthebasic

chemicalstructuresofthemostimportantanti-infectiveagents.

Interactions:Anti-InfectiveAgent/Bacterium/HostOrganism

Anti-infective agent

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption

Distribution

Elimination

Pharmacodynamics

Specific activity

Mechanism of action

Efficacy

Spectrum of action

Postantibiotic effect

Defense mechanisms

Host organism Bacterium

Pathogenicity/virulence

(host–pathogen relationship)

Toxicity Resistance

Fig.3. 28 Interactionsbetweentheanti-infectiveagentandhostorganismare

characterizedbythetermspharmacokineticsandtoxicity;interactionsbetween

theanti-infectiveagentandthebacterialpathogenarecharacterizedinterms

ofpharmacodynamicsandresistance.

3

Kayser, Medical Microbiology © 2005 Thieme