This section provides a summary of significant facts for and aspects of each drug class.

What They’re Good For

This section lists some of the most common and/or useful indications for the agents in the class. Often the agents discussed have not been approved for these indications by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but they are commonly used for them anyway. Conversely, many FDA indications that the antibiotics do have are not listed here, because they are often out-of-date. For example, FDA does not change indications when resistance makes a drug useless for an indication.

Don’t Forget!

In this section, we list points that are often overlooked or especially important when dealing with the drug class.

As you read this book, try to think of situations in which the antibiotics would be useful to your patients. Think of why an antibiotic is useful for an indication; don’t just learn that it is. It is our sincere hope that you, too, have that magic moment where the world of antibiotics and the study of infectious diseases click together. Let us know when it happens.