How to Overcome the Antibiotic Crisis


Book Description

This volume focuses on antibiotics research, a field of topical significance for human health due to the worrying increase of nosocomial infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria. It covers several basic aspects, such as the evolution of antibiotic resistance and the influence of antibiotics on the gut microbiota, and addresses the search for novel pathogenicity blockers as well as historical aspects of antibiotics. Further topics include applied aspects, such as drug discovery based on biodiversity and genome mining, optimization of lead structures by medicinal chemistry, total synthesis and drug delivery technologies. Moreover, the development of vaccines as a valid alternative therapeutic approach is outlined, while the importance of epidemiological studies on important bacterial pathogens, the problems arising from the excessive use of antibiotics in animal breeding, and the development of innovative technologies for diagnosing the “bad bugs” are discussed in detail. Accordingly, the book will appeal to researchers and clinicians alike.




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




Technological Challenges in Antibiotic Discovery and Development


Book Description

Technological Challenges in Antibiotic Discovery and Development is the summary of a workshop convened by the Chemical Sciences Roundtable in September 2013 to explore the current state of antibiotic discovery and examine the technology available to facilitate development. Through formal presentations and panel discussions, participants from academia, industry, federal research agencies discussed the technical challenges present and the incentives and disincentives industry faces in antibiotic development, and identified novel approaches to antibiotic discovery. Antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing problem in modern medicine and it is emerging as a pre-eminent public health threat. Each year in the United States alone, at least two million acquire serious infections with bacteria that are resistant to one or more antibiotics, and at least 23,000 people die annually as a direct result of these antibiotic-resistant infections. In addition to the toll on human life, antibiotic-resistant infections add considerable and avoidable costs to the already overburdened U.S. health care system. This report explores the challenges in overcoming antibiotic resistance, screening for new antibiotics, and delivering them to the sites of infection in the body. The report also discusses a path forward to develop the next generation of potent antimicrobial compounds capable of once again tilting the battle against microbial pathogens in favor of humans. Technological Challenges in Antibiotic Discovery and Development gives a broad view of the landscape of antibiotic development and the technological challenges and barriers to be overcome.




Overcoming Antimicrobial Resistance of the Skin


Book Description

This book is a thorough, practical review of the challenges facing clinicians treating skin microbes and how to combat these therapeutic dilemmas. It expresses the critical public health concern of antimicrobial resistance and shows how microorganisms are developing the ability to halt the progress of antimicrobials like antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals. Chapters are grouped together in five sections for ease of use. The first three sections of the book convey foundational information on the mechanisms of antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals resistance, as well as the implications of lack of vaccination. The fourth section then turns to the specifics of drug resistance for protozoan and helminth infections focusing primarily on initial and subsequent resistance to treatment. The book closes with a discussion on the potential solutions of innovative therapy including new delivery mechanisms, broad-spectrum antibiotics, phytocompounds, and biofilms. Chapters feature magnified, microscopic photos for identifying structures as they appear on the skin. Part of the Updates in Clinical Dermatology series, Overcoming Antimicrobial Resistance of the Skin is an important resource relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is written for all medical healthcare professionals.




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.




Strategies to Overcome Superbug Invasions: Emerging Research and Opportunities


Book Description

Recently, there has been an upsurge in microbial infections. Extensive and inappropriate usage of antimicrobial drugs in treating infections has led to the evolution of a resistant strain of microorganisms and irreversible immunosuppression in humans. Medical institutions and hospitals require solutions to combat these contagions in order to avoid future epidemics. Strategies to Overcome Superbug Invasions: Emerging Research and Opportunities highlights current research and potential strategies to prevent the emergence and re-emergence of drug-resistant pathogenic microbial strains. The content within this publication examines biosensing, global initiatives, nanomaterials, and alternative therapies. It is designed for microbiologists, biotechnologists, pharmacists, pharmacologists, virologists, formulation scientists, infectious disease specialists, government officials, policymakers, healthcare practitioners, doctors, nurses, hospital directors, researchers, surgeons, and academicians who are seeking research on innovative solutions for multi-drug-resistant infections.




Fighting Multidrug Resistance with Herbal Extracts, Essential Oils and Their Components


Book Description

Fighting Multidrug Resistance with Herbal Extracts, Essential Oils and their Components offers scientists a single source aimed at fighting specific multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoans, viruses and fungi using natural products. This essential reference discusses herbal extracts and essential oils used or under investigation to treat MDR infections, as well as those containing antimicrobial activity that could be of potential interest in future studies against MDR microorganisms. The need to combat multidrug-resistant microorganisms is an urgent one and this book provides important coverage of mechanism of action, the advantages and disadvantages of using herbal extracts, essential oils and their components and more to aid researchers in effective antimicrobial drug discovery Addresses the need to develop safe and effective approaches to coping with resistance to all classes of antimicrobial drugs Provides readers with current evidence-based content aimed at using herbal extracts and essential oils in antimicrobial drug development Includes chapters devoted to the activity of herbal products against herpes, AIDS, tuberculosis, drug-resistant cancer cells and more




Drug Discovery Targeting Drug-Resistant Bacteria


Book Description

Drug Discovery Targeting Drug-Resistant Bacteria explores the status and possible future of developments in fighting drug-resistant bacteria. The book covers the majority of microbial diseases and the drugs targeting them. In addition, it discusses the potential targeting strategies and innovative approaches to address drug resistance. It brings together academic and industrial experts working on discovering and developing drugs targeting drug-resistant (DR) bacterial pathogens. New drugs active against drug-resistant pathogens are discussed, along with new strategies being used to discover molecules acting via new modes of action. In addition, alternative therapies such as peptides and phages are included. Pharmaceutical scientists, microbiologists, medical professionals, pathologists, researchers in the field of drug discovery, infectious diseases and microbial drug discovery both in academia and in industrial settings will find this book helpful. Written by scientists with extensive industrial experience in drug discovery Provides a balanced view of the field, including its challenges and future directions Includes a special chapter on the identification and development of drugs against pathogens which exhibit the potential to be used as weapons of war




Surveying Antimicrobial Resistance: Approaches, Issues, and Challenges to Overcome


Book Description

Why Antibiotic Resistance? The use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine may have consequences beyond their intended applications. The "One Health" concept recognizes that the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment. Progress in molecular genetics is facilitating the rapid evaluation of the essentiality of these targets on a genomic scale. In 2015, a group of researchers established the International Conference on Antibiotic Resistance (IC2AR).The primary objective of this meeting is to bring together scientists involved in antibiotic resistance prevention and control. The IC2AR conducted its inaugural world congress in January 2015 at Caparica (Portugal). Antimicrobial resistance presents a significant challenge to scientists in the field of infectious diseases. The full knowledge of how antibiotics resistance is evolving and being transmitted between hosts in different ecosystems is taking on great importance. Necessary action includes research to define the scope of the problem including its various sources. This eBook comprises a series of original research and review articles dealing with the epidemiology of resistance in animal and zoonotic pathogens, mobile elements containing resistance genes, the omics of antimicrobial resistance, emerging antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, control of resistant infections, establishing antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance systems, and alternatives strategies to overcome the problem of antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Gilberto Igrejas, José Luis Capelo and Patrícia Poeta Scientific Committee of IC2AR, February 20th, 2017Why Antibiotic Resistance? The use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine may have consequences beyond their intended applications. The "One Health" concept recognizes that the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment. Progress in molecular genetics is facilitating the rapid evaluation of the essentiality of these targets on a genomic scale. In 2015, a group of researchers established the International Conference on Antibiotic Resistance (IC2AR).The primary objective of this meeting is to bring together scientists involved in antibiotic resistance prevention and control. The IC2AR conducted its inaugural world congress in January 2015 at Caparica (Portugal). Antimicrobial resistance presents a significant challenge to scientists in the field of infectious diseases. The full knowledge of how antibiotics resistance is evolving and being transmitted between hosts in different ecosystems is taking on great importance. Necessary action includes research to define the scope of the problem including its various sources. This eBook comprises a series of original research and review articles dealing with the epidemiology of resistance in animal and zoonotic pathogens, mobile elements containing resistance genes, the omics of antimicrobial resistance, emerging antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, control of resistant infections, establishing antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance systems, and alternatives strategies to overcome the problem of antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Gilberto Igrejas, José Luis Capelo and Patrícia Poeta Scientific Committee of IC2AR, February 20th, 2017.




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