ANTIBIOTIC EXPOSURE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO POSTANTIBIOTIC EFFECT ANDBACTERICIDAL ACTIVITY - CONSTANT VERSUS EXPONENTIALLY DECREASING TOBRAMYCIN CONCENTRATIONS AGAINST PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA

In vitro postantibiotic effects (PAEs) exhibited by a standard strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa following exposure to tobramycin at constant concentrations mere compared to those at exponentially decreasing con centrations. Exposure to a constant concentration showed more extensiv e bacterial killing and resulted in longer PAEs at comparable areas un der the concentration-time curves above the MIC. This phenomenon sugge sts a significant contribution of pharmacokinetics to antimicrobial ph armacodynamics.