Expanding Indications for the New Macrolides, Azalides, and Streptogramins [antikvár]

Preface The Third International Conference on Macrolides, Azalides, and Streptogramins (ICMAS III) was held January 24-26, 1996, in Lisbon, Portugál. This meeting attracted over 1300 scientists, physicians, and clinical investigators from all over the world. The program included state of the art lectures, roundtable discussions, eight workshop symposia, research updates from industry, and over 300 poster presentations. Since the first ICMAS meeting in January, 1992, enormous progress has been made in the research and development of new compounds and their application to clinical medicine. This volume includes plenary papers, summaries of the workship symposia, and selected extended abstracts from the meeting. The macrolide antibiotics were among the earliest antibiotic alternatives to penicillin. Erythromycin has certainly maintained an important place in the worldwide therapeutic armamentarium. Certain therapeutic disadvantages of erythromycin were overcome by the introduction of the new macrolides and azalides, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, and azithromycin. These agents have provided excellent intracellular antibacterial activity-with a broader bacterial spectrum than erythromycin-and considerably fewer unwanted side effects. The streptogramins, currently used extensively in somé countries, have attracted a tremendous le vei of interest. Quinupristin/dalfopristin, the newest streptogramin, has import ant activity against staphylococci resistant to methicillin and Enterococcus faecium resistant to vancomycin. The latest clinical and microbiological data on this and related agents are summarized in this volume. As resistant bacteria continue to challenge clinicians worldwide, additional antibiotics will surely be needed. The ketolide antibiotics, introduced in this volume, provide activity against penicillin-resistant pneumococci as