[Novelties in antimicrobial therapy]

Microorganisms are the oldest forms of life on the planet--they are around 3.5 billion years old. They are characterised by the fast changing generations and by genetic flexibility. Microorganisms which live in and on us outnumber our cells nine times. The development of new antimicrobial drugs has fallen behind in the time period between year 1968 and year 2000. During this time period not a single one antimicrobial drug was discovered. Two new antibacterial drugs and one new antimicotic drug have been approved for the use in human medicine since year 2000. This paper describes the new antimicrobial drugs approved for use in human population. It describes their characteristics as well as the risks pertaining to their use in antimicrobial therapy.