Chapter title |
Antibiotics: Precious Goods in Changing Times
|
---|---|
Chapter number | 1 |
Book title |
Antibiotics
|
Published in |
Methods in molecular biology, January 2017
|
DOI | 10.1007/978-1-4939-6634-9_1 |
Pubmed ID | |
Book ISBNs |
978-1-4939-6632-5, 978-1-4939-6634-9
|
Authors |
Peter Sass |
Editors |
Peter Sass |
Abstract |
Antibiotics represent a first line of defense of diverse microorganisms, which produce and use antibiotics to counteract natural enemies or competitors for nutritional resources in their nearby environment. For antimicrobial activity, nature has invented a great variety of mechanisms of antibiotic action that involve the perturbation of essential bacterial structures or biosynthesis pathways of macromolecules such as the bacterial cell wall, DNA, RNA, or proteins, thereby threatening the specific microbial lifestyle and eventually even survival. However, along with highly inventive modes of antibiotic action, nature also developed a comparable set of resistance mechanisms that help the bacteria to circumvent antibiotic action. Microorganisms have evolved specific adaptive responses that allow appropriately reacting to the presence of antimicrobial agents, ensuring survival during antimicrobial stress. In times of rapid development and spread of antibiotic (multi-)resistance, we need to explore new, resistance-breaking strategies to counteract bacterial infections. This chapter intends to give an overview of common antibiotics and their target pathways. It will also discuss recent advances in finding new antibiotics with novel modes of action, illustrating that nature's repertoire of innovative new antimicrobial agents has not been fully exploited yet, and we still might find new drugs that help to evade established antimicrobial resistance strategies. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 27 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 4 | 15% |
Researcher | 4 | 15% |
Other | 3 | 11% |
Student > Master | 2 | 7% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 1 | 4% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 13 | 48% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 15% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 2 | 7% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 2 | 7% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 7% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 7% |
Other | 2 | 7% |
Unknown | 13 | 48% |