Models Related to Growth and Selection of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria under Drug Exposure

The worldwide increase of antibiotic resistance and the simultane-ous downward trend in development of new antimicrobial drugs has made efforts to prolong the life span of existing antibiotics of utmost importance. It is known that different dosing-regimens of antibiotics may in-fluence the selection of resistant bacteria. But the nature of variation with different dosing regimens is unknown. This thesis focuses on mathematical models for the evolution of resistance within the treated host. We will see that, in spite of simplifications, the models help in identifying key processes behind observed patterns such as selection of resistance, de novo acquired resistance and postantibiotic effects