Antimicrobial pharmacodynamics: Critical interactions of 'bug and drug'

Antimicrobial pharmacodynamics is the discipline that integrates microbiology and pharmacology, with the aim of linking a measure of drug exposure, relative to a measure of drug potency for the pathogen in question, to the microbiological or clinical effect achieved. The delineation of such relationships allows the drug dose to be chosen in a rational manner, so that the desired effect ( for example, the maximal bactericidal effect) can be achieved in a large proportion of the intended patient population. Ultimately, the goal of any anti-infective therapy is to administer a dose of drug that has an acceptably high probability of achieving the desired therapeutic effect balanced with an acceptably low probability of toxicity. Appropriate use of the latest pharmacodynamic modelling approaches can minimize the emergence of resistance and optimize the outcome for patients.