title: Current use for old antibacterial agents: polymyxins, rifamycins, and aminoglycosides.
abstract: This article reviews three classes of antibacterial agents that are uncommonly used in bacterial infections and therefore can be thought of as special-use agents. The polymyxins are reserved for gram-negative bacilli that are resistant to virtually all other classes of drugs. Rifampin is used therapeutically, occasionally as a companion drug in treatment of refractory gram-positive coccal infections, especially those involving foreign bodies. Rifaximin is a new rifamycin that is a strict enteric antibiotic approved for treatment of traveler's diarrhea and is showing promise as a possible agent for refractory Clostridium difficile infections. The aminoglycosides are used mainly as companion drugs for the treatment of resistant gram-negative bacillary infections and for gram-positive coccal endocarditis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Duke University Medical Center, Box 102359, Hanes House, Durham, NC 27710, USA. luke.chen@duke.edu
authors.forename: Luke F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaye
mesh_terms: D000617:Aminoglycosides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D011113:Polymyxins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012294:Rifamycins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D011113:Polymyxins; D012294:Rifamycins