Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance


Book Description

Antibiotics represent one of the most successful forms of therapy in medicine. But the efficiency of antibiotics is compromised by the growing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Antibiotic resistance, which is implicated in elevated morbidity and mortality rates as well as in the increased treatment costs, is considered to be one of the major global public health threats (www.who.int/drugresistance/en/) and the magnitude of the problem recently prompted a number of international and national bodies to take actions to protect the public (http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/docs/road-map-amr_en.pdf: http://www.who.int/drugresistance/amr_global_action_plan/en/; http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/carb_national_strategy.pdf). Understanding the mechanisms by which bacteria successfully defend themselves against the antibiotic assault represent the main theme of this eBook published as a Research Topic in Frontiers in Microbiology, section of Antimicrobials, Resistance, and Chemotherapy. The articles in the eBook update the reader on various aspects and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. A better understanding of these mechanisms should facilitate the development of means to potentiate the efficacy and increase the lifespan of antibiotics while minimizing the emergence of antibiotic resistance among pathogens.




Antibiotic Drug Resistance


Book Description

This book presents a thorough and authoritative overview of the multifaceted field of antibiotic science – offering guidance to translate research into tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases. Provides readers with knowledge about the broad field of drug resistance Offers guidance to translate research into tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases Links strategies to analyze microbes to the development of new drugs, socioeconomic impacts to therapeutic strategies, and public policies to antibiotic-resistance-prevention strategies




Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics


Book Description

AN AUTHORITATIVE SURVEY OF CURRENT RESEARCH INTO CLINICALLY USEFUL CONVENTIONAL AND NONCONVENTIONAL ANTIBIOTIC THERAPEUTICS Pharmaceutically-active antibiotics revolutionized the treatment of infectious diseases, leading to decreased mortality and increased life expectancy. However, recent years have seen an alarming rise in the number and frequency of antibiotic-resistant "Superbugs." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over two million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States annually, resulting in approximately 23,000 deaths. Despite the danger to public health, a minimal number of new antibiotic drugs are currently in development or in clinical trials by major pharmaceutical companies. To prevent reverting back to the pre-antibiotic era—when diseases caused by parasites or infections were virtually untreatable and frequently resulted in death—new and innovative approaches are needed to combat the increasing resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics. Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics – From Molecules to Man examines the current state and future direction of research into developing clinically-useful next-generation novel antibiotics. An internationally-recognized team of experts cover topics including glycopeptide antibiotic resistance, anti-tuberculosis agents, anti-virulence therapies, tetracyclines, the molecular and structural determinants of resistance, and more. Presents a multidisciplinary approach for the optimization of novel antibiotics for maximum potency, minimal toxicity, and appropriated degradability Highlights critical aspects that may relieve the problematic medical situation of antibiotic resistance Includes an overview of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance Addresses contemporary issues of global public health and longevity Includes full references, author remarks, and color illustrations, graphs, and charts Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics – From Molecules to Man is a valuable source of up-to-date information for medical practitioners, researchers, academics, and professionals in public health, pharmaceuticals, microbiology, and related fields.




Improving Food Safety Through a One Health Approach


Book Description

Globalization of the food supply has created conditions favorable for the emergence, reemergence, and spread of food-borne pathogens-compounding the challenge of anticipating, detecting, and effectively responding to food-borne threats to health. In the United States, food-borne agents affect 1 out of 6 individuals and cause approximately 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths each year. This figure likely represents just the tip of the iceberg, because it fails to account for the broad array of food-borne illnesses or for their wide-ranging repercussions for consumers, government, and the food industry-both domestically and internationally. A One Health approach to food safety may hold the promise of harnessing and integrating the expertise and resources from across the spectrum of multiple health domains including the human and veterinary medical and plant pathology communities with those of the wildlife and aquatic health and ecology communities. The IOM's Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop on December 13 and 14, 2011 that examined issues critical to the protection of the nation's food supply. The workshop explored existing knowledge and unanswered questions on the nature and extent of food-borne threats to health. Participants discussed the globalization of the U.S. food supply and the burden of illness associated with foodborne threats to health; considered the spectrum of food-borne threats as well as illustrative case studies; reviewed existing research, policies, and practices to prevent and mitigate foodborne threats; and, identified opportunities to reduce future threats to the nation's food supply through the use of a "One Health" approach to food safety. Improving Food Safety Through a One Health Approach: Workshop Summary covers the events of the workshop and explains the recommendations for future related workshops.







Contemporary Approaches to Mitigating Antibacterial Drug Resistance


Book Description

In infectious disease management, antibacterial agents have long been viewed as pivotal tools in the relentless battle against microorganisms. However, the escalating threat of antibacterial drug resistance has emerged as a formidable challenge to global health. Contemporary Approaches to Mitigating Antibacterial Drug Resistance delves into the heart of this critical issue, exploring the mechanisms, consequences, and innovative strategies to counteract the surge of resistance, a phenomenon becoming increasingly pervasive and threatening worldwide. Antibacterial drug resistance, a pressing public health concern, transcends geographical boundaries. In regions where antibiotic accessibility and overuse prevail, resistance rates soar, giving rise to the ominous "superbugs." This book unravels the intricacies of drug resistance, examining its impact on infectious disease management, healthcare economics, and societal well-being. The exploration begins with a foundational understanding of antibacterial drug resistance, navigating through the intricate mechanisms that drive its rapid proliferation. Environmental and genetic factors, often overlooked, are dissected for their roles in fostering resistance. The book explores the interplay of antibacterial drugs with micro-biodiversity, shedding light on the indirect repercussions on human and environmental ecosystems. The primary audience, encompassing undergraduate and postgraduate students, medical practitioners, academicians, and researchers, will find in-depth insights into emerging therapeutic targets and recent advances in drug development. The secondary audience, including authorities in antibacterial drug resistance and institutional libraries, will discover a valuable resource addressing the multifaceted dimensions of this global menace.




Antibiotic Resistance


Book Description

Antibiotic Resistance: Mechanisms and New Antimicrobial Approaches discusses up-to-date knowledge in mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and all recent advances in fighting microbial resistance such as the applications of nanotechnology, plant products, bacteriophages, marine products, algae, insect-derived products, and other alternative methods that can be applied to fight bacterial infections. Understanding fundamental mechanisms of antibiotic resistance is a key step in the discovery of effective methods to cope with resistance. This book also discusses methods used to fight antibiotic-resistant infection based on a deep understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of the resistance. Discusses methods used to fight antibiotic-resistant infection based on a deep understanding of mechanisms involved in the development of the resistance Provides information on modern methods used to fight antibiotic resistance Covers a wide range of alternative methods to fight bacterial resistance, offering the most complete information available Discusses both newly emerging trends and traditionally applied methods to fight antibiotic resistant infections in light of recent scientific developments Offers the most up-to-date information in fighting antibiotic resistance Includes involvement of contributors all across the world, presenting questions of interest to readers of both developed and developing countries




Antibiotics


Book Description

Most of the antibiotics now in use have been discovered more or less by chance, and their mechanisms of action have only been elucidated after their discovery. To meet the medical need for next-generation antibiotics, a more rational approach to antibiotic development is clearly needed. Opening with a general introduction about antimicrobial drugs, their targets and the problem of antibiotic resistance, this reference systematically covers currently known antibiotic classes, their molecular mechanisms and the targets on which they act. Novel targets such as cell signaling networks, riboswitches and bacterial chaperones are covered here, alongside the latest information on the molecular mechanisms of current blockbuster antibiotics. With its broad overview of current and future antibacterial drug development, this unique reference is essential reading for anyone involved in the development and therapeutic application of novel antibiotics.




Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogens


Book Description

Ground-breaking overview of an enduring topic Despite the use of antibiotics, bacterial diseases continue to be a critical issue in public health, and bacterial pathogenesis remains a tantalizing problem for research microbiologists. This new edition of Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogens broadly covers the knowledge base surrounding this topic and presents recently unraveled bacterial virulence strategies and cutting-edge therapies. A team of editors, led by USDA scientist Indira Kudva, compiled perspectives from experts to explain the wide variety of mechanisms through which bacterial pathogens cause disease: the host interface, host cell enslavement, and bacterial communication, secretion, defenses, and persistence. A collection of reviews on targeted therapies rounds out the seven sections of this unique book. The new edition provides insights into some of the most recent advances in the area of bacterial pathogenesis, including how metabolism shapes the host-pathogen interface interactions across species and genera mechanisms of the secretion systems evasion, survival, and persistence mechanisms new therapies targeting various adaptive and virulence mechanisms of bacterial pathogens Written to promote discussion, extrapolation, exploration, and multidimensional thinking, Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogens serves as a textbook for graduate courses on bacterial pathogenesis and a resource for specialists in bacterial pathogenicity, such as molecular biologists, physician scientists, infectious disease clinicians, dental scientists, veterinarians, molecular biologists, industry researchers, and technicians.