ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) properties of antimicrobials which influence drug response, characterizes drug effects, and examines techniques that have been used to link these phenomena. The PK variables of a drug determine the time course of drug concentration in serum and, ultimately, at the site of infection. Certain other PK properties of antimicrobials also influence the concentration time course at the site of infection. PD parameters of antimicrobials relate drug concentration and the desired effect. In order to draw meaningful conclusions regarding the optimal dose regimen for antimicrobials, the time course of antimicrobial activity should be modified to make maximum use of the PD features of a particular agent. The PK-PD parameters may be useful in clinical decision making, as well as in evaluating the pharmaceutical literature. Different antimicrobials within a therapeutic class are often compared using in vitro susceptibility data or PK characteristics.
