Pathogen direct

Empirical therapy for postoperative infections in neurosurgical patients (including patients with CSF shunts) should include vancomycin in combination with either cefepime, ceftazidime, or meropenem. Linezolid has been reported to reach adequate CSF concentrations and resolve cases of meningitis refractory to vancomycin.35 However, data with linezolid are limited. The addition of rifampin should be considered for treatment of shunt infections. When culture and sensitivity data are available, pathogen-directed antibiotic therapy should be administered. Removal of infected devices is desirable aggressive antibiotic therapy (including high-dose intravenous antibiotic therapy plus intraventricular vancomycin and/or tobramycin) may be effective for patients in whom hardware removal is not possible.36... 

Antibodies do not kill pathogens directly but have at least three roles which can lead to killing. 

Antimicrobial pharmacodynamics have become a crucial consideration for the clinician during the selection of both empirical and pathogen-directed therapy in the current era of antimicrobial resistance. 

Plant defenses contain constitutive responses and inducible responses. Two functions of the induced defense response of plants are against pathogens directly and against herbivores indirectly. Once plants are damaged by herbivorous arthropods, an induced volatile blend will be emitted so that carnivores can sense it from a distance. Indirect defenses work by attracting... 

He Y, Li H, Lu X, Stratton CW, Tang Y-W. Mass spectrometry biotyper system identifies enteric bacterial pathogens directly from colonies grown on selective stool culture media. J Clin Microbiol. 2010 48(11) 3888-92. doi 10.1128/JCM.01290-10. 

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