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An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms (microbicide) or stops their growth (bacteriostatic agent). [1] Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals are used against fungi. They can also be classified ...
Oral administration of a liquid. In pharmacology and toxicology, a route of administration is the way by which a drug, fluid, poison, or other substance is taken into the body. [1] Routes of administration are generally classified by the location at which the substance is applied. Common examples include oral and intravenous administration ...
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria.It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of such infections.
The discovery and development of new antimicrobial agents has been facilitated by regulatory advances, which have been principally led by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These processes are increasingly aligned although important differences remain and drug developers must prepare separate documents.
Empiric antimicrobial therapy is typically broad-spectrum, in that it treats both a multitude of either Gram-positive and/or Gram-negative bacteria, diverse fungi or parasites respectively. When more information is known (as from a blood culture ), treatment may be changed to a narrow-spectrum antimicrobial which more specifically targets the ...
Antimicrobial peptides have been used as therapeutic agents; their use is generally limited to intravenous administration or topical applications due to their short half-lives. As of January 2018 the following antimicrobial peptides were in clinical use: [29] Bacitracin for pneumonia, topical; Boceprevir, Hepatitis C (oral, cyclic peptide)
In clinical medicine, antibiotics are most frequently prescribed on the basis of a person's symptoms and medical guidelines.This method of antibiotic selection is called empiric therapy, [1] and it is based on knowledge about what bacteria cause an infection, and to what antibiotics bacteria may be sensitive or resistant. [1]
Chemoprevention or chemoprophylaxis refers to the administration of a medication for the purpose of preventing disease or infection. [1] [2] Antibiotics, for example, may be administered to patients with disorders of immune system function to prevent bacterial infections (particularly opportunistic infection). [3]