During the early years of antibiotic research, there was little interest in the pharmacokinetic properties of antibacterial agents. However, the past decades have seen a tremendous progress in pharmacokinetic analysis which has made it necessary to reevaluate the pharmacokinetics of some of these agents. This volume is a comprehensive update on the pharmacokinetics of the major antibacterial drug classes such as penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, quinolones, trimethoprim or tetroxoprim-sulfonamide combinations and aminoglycosides. It provides data on the absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of these agents and describes the recalculated pharmacokinetic parameters. Special attention is given to the effect of renal function and dialysis. One chapter summarizes dose recommendations in patients with different degrees of renal impairment. Due to their wide spectrum of activities against a large variety of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, many of the agents described are suitable for treating infections of the respiratory and the urinary tract, sexually transmitted diseases, skin as well as gastrointestinal infections. Providing a useful basis for selecting the most suitable compound for the treatment of an individual infection, this book will be appreciated by those working in the fields of infectious diseases, antibacterial therapy, pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics.