from Christian Baron, Jean-Yves Winum and Stephan Köhler writing in Brucella: Molecular Microbiology and Genomics:
Novel strategies for the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases are urgently needed. In this chapter we will discuss two complementary approaches aimed at targeting Brucella species during the intracellular growth phase: depriving them of essential amino acid biosynthetic enzymes and disarmament by inhibiting type IV secretion system function that is essential for virulence. Small molecules targeting these functions that are essential exclusively during intracellular growth could serve as leads for the development of novel anti-infective and anti-virulence drugs, respectively. Since such drugs would not kill Brucella during extracellular growth, it is anticipated that the selection pressure for resistant mutants would be reduced. In addition, such specific molecules would not disrupt the human microbiome and thereby avoid side effects of conventional antibiotic treatments. Following similar approaches, anti-infective and anti-virulence drugs could be developed to treat infections caused by a wide variety of bacterial pathogens.
Further reading: Brucella: Molecular Microbiology and Genomics