Antibiotics: Targets, Mechanisms and Resistance

Millions of lives have been saved by antibiotics since the onset of their use in therapy. However, while the golden era of antibiotic discovery is now over the need for effective antibiotics is increased as the antibiotics pipelines have dwindled and life-threatening multi-resistant pathogenic strains have spread.

Finding new anti-infective drugs has become a world-wide emergency and a more rational approach to antibiotic development is clearly needed to meet the medical need for next-generation antibiotics.

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.