Antimicrobial therapy: past, present, and future.

Antimicrobial chemotherapy is a growth industry in the rapidly changing world of health care. The identification of new pathogens, new treatment modalities, and new issues related to our patterns of antimicrobial use ensure that the practise of Infectious Diseases in 1994 will be markedly different than it has been in 1988. Ongoing adaptation and radical change will both be required of each one of us as we modify our treatment guidelines to ensure that our patients receive optimal antimicrobial therapy for maintaining or regaining their health.