Main causes of antibiotic failures...

• False failures

  • erroneous diagnosis
  • underlying disease uninfluenced by antibiotics
  • unjustified lack of patience
  • inactivation of the antibiotic

• Failures related to the patient

  • compliance failure (broadly speaking)
  • inappropriate administration route (broadly speaking)
  • immunodepressed hosts

• Pharmacological failures

  • unsufficient amount or drug inappropriately administered
  • unsufficient attention paid to pharmacodynamic parameters
  • in situ inactivation or lack of drainage

• Failures related to the micro-organism

  • wrong pathogen
  • resistance acquired during treatment
  • unsufficient bactericidal activity, bacterial persistence
  • inoculum effect

Adapted from Pechère J.C., 1988, 1993, 1998

Previous slide

Next slide

Back to first slide

View graphic version