Antimicrobial therapy is the use of agents that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms, antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics, to prevent or treat infectious disease. Effective therapy depends on identifying the causative pathogen, understanding the drug's mechanism of action and spectrum…
Antimicrobial therapy is the use of agents that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms, antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics, to prevent or treat infectious disease. Effective therapy depends on identifying the causative pathogen, understanding the drug's mechanism of action and spectrum, and matching pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties to the site and severity of infection. Treatment may be empirical, guided by likely pathogens and local resistance patterns before culture results, or targeted once the organism and its susceptibility are known, allowing de-escalation to a narrower regimen. Selection of agent, dose, route, and duration aims to achieve cure while limiting toxicity, adverse drug reactions, and collateral effects on host microbiota. A central concern is antimicrobial resistance, the capacity of microorganisms to withstand previously effective drugs, which is driven and accelerated by inappropriate and excessive use and threatens the durability of available treatments. Antimicrobial stewardship addresses this through structured efforts to optimize prescribing, including restriction policies, prescriber education, and surveillance of use and resistance across hospital and community settings, as illustrated by stewardship and usage-restriction initiatives in varied clinical environments. Allied antimicrobial strategies extend to antiretroviral therapy for chronic viral infection, where regimen choice and adverse-effect monitoring are likewise central. Rational, evidence-based antimicrobial therapy thus balances individual benefit with the preservation of these agents for future use.
7 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 7 articles above have been cited 21 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Antimicrobial Therapy, linking to each citing work.