AMINOGLYCOSIDES

Aminoglycosides are extremely active antimicrobial agents, particularly against bacteremia caused by aerobic gram-negative bacilli. Emergence of resistance during therapy is a rare event. All the aminoglycosides, however, possess the potential for renal and otovestibular toxicity. Despite careful attention to dosage regimens designed to achieve targeted peak and trough levels in serum, the incidence of nephrotoxicity did not change until the advent of once-daily drug regimens. Because of their strong antibacterial properties, aminoglycosides remain useful for the treatment of serious infections, but drug monitoring has to be strict to preserve antibacterial activity while avoiding toxicity as much as possible.