Antibiotic kinetic and dynamic attributes for community-acquired respiratory tract infections

Factors, including the age of the treatment population, this population's m ultiple comorbidities, the greater severity of their illness, and the consi derable change in the pathogens in their epidemiology and resistance patter ns, affect the management of community-acquired respiratory tract infection s in the outpatient setting. Moreover, outcome is affected by the host, eti ologic agent, and the selection of the antimicrobial treatment. The challen ge of selecting appropriate antimicrobial therapy is often at the discretio n of the prescriber. The nature of respiratory tract infections and the rel ationship of antimicrobial therapy to the resolution of infection are descr ibed.