title: Therapeutic drug monitoring of antimicrobials.
abstract: As pathology services become more centralized and automated, the measurement of therapeutic antimicrobial drugs concentrations is increasingly performed in clinical biochemistry or 'blood science' laboratories. This review outlines key groups of antimicrobial agents: aminoglycosides, glycopeptides, antifungal agents and antituberculosis agents, their role in managing infectious diseases, and the reasons why serum concentration measurement is important.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.
authors.forename: Indran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK Public Health Laboratory Manchester, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK rob.shorten@cmft.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Shorten
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents
keywords: Antimicrobial therapy; therapeutic drug monitoring