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Antibiotic heterogeneity: from concept to practice
Author(s) -
Bal A. M.,
Kumar A.,
Gould I. M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05867.x
Subject(s) - antibiotics , antibiotic resistance , intensive care medicine , transmission (telecommunications) , medicine , risk analysis (engineering) , biology , computer science , microbiology and biotechnology , telecommunications
Bacterial resistance to multiple antibiotics is a serious and emerging threat. Several measures have been proposed to curb this growing trend. These include prescribing restrictions, education, and infection control that target transmission, among several others. Antibiotic cycling has been a subject of debate, and although many investigators have studied the utility of antibiotic cycling with the help of theoretical models or as part of clinical investigations, several areas remain undefined and unclear. This review summarizes the available information on antibiotic heterogeneity (antibiotic cycling, antibiotic mixing, and other types of antibiotic protocols) with a critical analysis of the published studies.