Authors
Dr. KV Krishna Das, B.Sc, MBBS, FRCP (E), DTM & H, FAMS, Retired Director and Professor, Department of Medicine, Medical College, Trivandrum; IMA Member
Abstract
This detailed review deals with the general aspects of the therapeutics of antibiotics in common use for bacterial infections, with emphasis on those more frequently employed by the family physicians in India.
Since almost all of them are metabolic poisons, they also lead to cellular damage in the host to varying degrees. Therefore adverse side effects are almost universal , the type and severity of the adverse effects varying among the different drugs.
Exposure to antibiotics leads to the proliferation of resistant mutants. This results in ineffectiveness of the drug in the same pa- tients and in those others who get infection from such patients. This problem is probably the most important adverse effect on a community level:
All the common antibiotics used are reviewed.
The antibacterial antibiotic armamentarium is quite well equipped. Judicious selection by the physician is absolutely essential for effectiveness, safety and avoidance of adverse effects. It is also essential that the practicing physician keeps himself abreast of modern developments which aim at fine- tuning the treatment of infective diseases.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Mechanism of action, Adverse effects, Development of antibiotic resistance