Tag: Antimicrobial drugs

Over 28 million courses of antibiotics are unnecessarily prescribed in the U.S. annually, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of these medications. A key distinction in pharmacology is understanding which antibiotics are bacteriostatic or bactericidal, and how this fundamental difference impacts their clinical use and effectiveness.

The core principle of antimicrobial therapy is selective toxicity, the ability of a drug to harm an invading microorganism without harming the host [1.2.4]. Understanding **what is meant by selective toxicity** is fundamental to developing safe and effective medications, from antibiotics to chemotherapy agents [1.2.6].