Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
03:22
Microbiological Rapid On-Site Evaluation for Pulmonary Infectious Diseases
Published on: March 1, 2024
Aminoglycoside therapy in infectious diseases
Panagiotis Poulikakos1, Matthew E Falagas
1Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS), 9 Neapoleos Street, 151 23 Marousi, Athens, Greece.
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
|June 11, 2013
Summary
Aminoglycosides, essential antibiotics, remain crucial for treating diseases like plague and brucellosis. Despite past toxicity concerns, newer strategies and drugs like plazomicin enhance their safety and efficacy against resistant bacteria.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology and Microbiology
- Antimicrobial Therapy
- Drug Development
Background:
- Aminoglycosides are a historically significant class of antibiotics primarily valued for their antimicrobial properties.
- Their established role in medicine stems from potent antibacterial activity against a range of pathogens.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of aminoglycoside antibiotics.
- To explore their mechanism of action, toxicity, and strategies for improved efficacy.
- To discuss therapeutic applications and future directions, including novel agents and resistance patterns.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of aminoglycoside antibiotics.
- Analysis of existing data on mechanism of action and adverse events.
- Evaluation of strategies to mitigate toxicity and enhance therapeutic use.
Main Results:
- Aminoglycosides remain vital for treating specific infections like brucellosis and plague.
- Strategies such as once-daily administration improve aminoglycoside safety and efficacy.
- The synthetic aminoglycoside plazomicin shows promise, evading common resistance mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Aminoglycosides are valuable against multidrug-resistant pathogens, despite historical toxicity concerns.
- Ongoing research and development, including novel agents like plazomicin, are expanding their utility.
- Further trials are needed to clarify their role in specific clinical scenarios, such as Gram-positive endocarditis.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Inhibitors of Bacterial Protein Synthesis
Aminoglycosides constitute a highly potent class of bactericidal antibiotics that exert their antimicrobial effects by targeting the bacterial ribosome, specifically disrupting protein synthesis. These polycationic molecules consist of amino-modified sugars linked via glycosidic bonds to an aminocyclitol core such as 2-deoxystreptamine or streptamine. Their strong positive charges facilitate tight binding to the negatively charged phosphate backbone of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), primarily at the 16S...
01:20Estimation of k and VD of Aminoglycosides
Aminoglycosides are a class of antibiotics used to treat various bacterial infections. Clinicians must determine the elimination rate constant (k) and volume of distribution (VD) to optimize therapeutic efficacy and minimize toxicity. The k value represents the rate at which the drug is removed from the body, and the VD reflects the degree to which the drug distributes into body tissues. Accurately estimating these parameters allows healthcare professionals to tailor drug dosing to individual...
01:28Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management
Introduction:For diagnosing acute pyelonephritis, a comprehensive patient history is collected to identify symptoms such as dysuria, frequent or urgent urination, flank pain, or costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness that may suggest a kidney infection.Physical ExaminationDuring the physical examination, CVA tenderness is assessed. This involves gentle percussion over the costovertebral angle, where tenderness often indicates a kidney infection.Diagnostic TestsUrinalysis: Used to identify white...
01:24Drug Accumulation During Multiple Dosing: Intermittent IV Infusions
Intermittent intravenous (IV) infusion is a method of drug administration where medications are delivered over short infusion periods followed by intervals of no drug delivery. This approach helps to prevent sustained high drug concentrations in the bloodstream, reducing the risk of adverse effects associated with prolonged exposure. Unlike continuous infusion, steady-state concentrations may not be achieved during a single dosing cycle but can be reached through repeated...
01:27Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
Synergism is a useful mechanism where combining two or more drugs is more effective than each constituent used alone. Such combinations are also called supra-additive interactions. The drugs collectively enhance the final therapeutic effect by acting on different targets. Another advantage is that the low dose of each constituent drug is sufficient to achieve the desired effect. This helps reduce the duration of therapy and lower the adverse effects of these drugs.
Such synergistic combinations...
Such synergistic combinations...
01:15Determination of Multiple Dosing Parameters: Steady-State, Minimum and Maximum Concentrations
Gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is commonly administered via intermittent intravenous infusion to treat severe infections. An intermittent one-hour infusion of gentamicin, administered at eight-hour intervals, allows for precise control of plasma drug concentrations, minimizing toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy. Pharmacokinetic principles govern the dynamics of plasma concentrations and can be mathematically described using specific equations.The plasma drug concentration...