Development of Novel Antimicrobial Agents: Emerging Strategies

Since the development of the first commercially available antibiotic, penicillin, in the 1940s, the high expectations for the healing power of these "wonder drugs" has not been fulfilled. This is due to the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria; a problem which has increased dramatically in recent years with the emergence of multi-resistant strains. These organisms cannot be treated by currently available antibiotics. The numerous warnings of the World Health Organization emphasize the relevance and importance of this serious global health problem and the pressing need to develop new classes of antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action. This book presents an overview of the current research in this area and provides for the first time a coherent picture of the emerging strategies for the development of novel antimicrobial compounds. Leading international researchers from academia and industry have contributed to this uniques collection of highly acclaimed reviews covering every aspect of this important topic. The book is organized into three sections: Section 1 focuses on the origin and evolution of antimicrobial resistance, as well as on strategies for its containment. A more sophisticated and prudent use of antibiotics is advocated. Section 2 is devoted to the field of microbial genomics and finding new targets. Section 3 covers the development of novel peptide antibiotics based on host defense peptides. The interests of scientists of quite diverse disciplines are addressed: biophysics and biochemistry, molecular biology and genetic engineering, microbiology, medicine and pharmacology. In addition, this book is essential reading for physicians, who are confronted with antibiotic resistant bacteria in their daily work, in particular at hospitals where infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria are often prevalent.