Patent ID: 6406881
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
A method of treating a patient infected with a pathogen, the method comprising:administering to the patient a drug at a dosage and frequency sufficient for the serum concentration of said drug to exceed the mutant prevention concentration (MPC) in said patient, thereby treating said patient, wherein said MPC is a concentration determined by a method comprising applying at lease 1010 colony-, plaque- or foci-forming units of a pathogen to a plurality of containers, wherein said containers contain differing concentrations of said drug, incubating said containers, counting the pathogen colonies, plaques, or foci in said cultures, plotting the number of counted colonies, plaques, or foci against the drug concentration; and extrapolating or interpolating the plot to determine the minimum drug concentration corresponding to zero colonies, plaques, or foci, said minimum drug concentration being the MPC.