Specific Antibiotic Agents

The simultaneous use of multiple antibiotics in a shotgun fashion should be avoided because of the problems of drug toxicity and hypersensitivity reactions, microbial superinfections, and antagonisms between certain agents. Most bacterial infections can be treated satisfactorily with a single antibiotic agent. There are a limited number of situations, however, in which the simultaneous administration of different antibiotics is warranted. This review covers specific antimicrobial agents, including β-lactam antibiotics, aminoglycosides, polymyxins, tetracyclines, macrolides, clindamycin, nitroimidazoles, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, lipoglycopeptides, oxazolidinones, daptomycin, streptogramins, sulfonamides and trimethoprim, fluoroquinolones, nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, rifamycins, and fidaxomicin, and provides empirical therapy recommendations. Figures show an overview of penicillin antibiotics, an overview of β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, and a positive D-zone test for inducible clindamycin resistance. Tables list antibacterial guidelines for initial inpatient empirical therapy and empirical sepsis guidelines.   This review contains 3 figures, 5 tables, and 51 references. Keywords: β-Lactam Antibiotics ,penicillins,Cephalosporins, Carbapenems , monobactams, Gentamicin, Tobramycin, Polymyxins, Tetracyclines, Clarithromycin, Clindamycin