Development of Novel Antimicrobial Agents: Emerging Strategies Book Reviews
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Review by
Chemie Das Österreichische Magazin f ür Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft
Chemie April 2001. Page 30 (English translation)
Seit der Entwicklung des ersten kommerziellen Antibiotikums Penicillin in den 4Oer-Jahren wurden die Erwartungen, die die Menschen in diese "Wunderdroge" gesteckt hatten, bis heute nicht erfuilt. Dies liegt in der Tatsache begrundet, dass Bakterien gegen Antibiotika resistent werden - ein Problem, das sich in den vergangenen Jahren mit dem Aufkommen von multiresistenten Arten verscharft hat. Diese Krankheitserreger können nicht mehr mit herkömmlichen Antibiotika unschädlich gemacht werden. Warnungen der Weltgesundheitsorganisation unterstreichen die Wichtigkeit dieser Gesundheitsproblematik und bekräftigen die Notwendigkeit der Entwicklung einer fortschrittlicheren Klasse von Antibiotika mit völlig neuen Wirkungsmechanismen.
Dieses Buch gibt emen Überblick über die aktuellen Forschungsinhalte und bietet em zusammenhängendes Bild von neuartigen antimikrobiellen Verbindungsklassen. Führende Forscher aus Wissenschaft und Industrie waren am Entstehen dieser Sammlung von Abhandlungen beteiligt. Das Buch setzt sich aus drei Bereichen zusammen: Der erste Abschnitt behandelt den Ursprung und die Entwicklung von antimikrobiellen Resistenzen und Möglichkeiten der Eindämmung. Der zweite Bereich konzentriert sich auf die mikrobielle Genomik und das Finden neuer Zielbereiche. Der dritte Abschnitt ist der Entwicklung neuer Peptidantibiotika, welche auf dem Wirkprinzip der so genannten Abwehrpeptide basieren, gewidmet.
Unterschiedliche moderne Wissenschaftsdisziplinen werden darin abgehandelt: Biophysik und Biochemie, molekulare Biologie und Gentechnologie, Mikrobiologie, Medizin und Pharmakologie. Des Weiteren ist dieses Buch auch im Speziellen für Ärzte unabkömmlich, welche in ihrer täglichen Arbeit mit Antibiotika-resistenten Bakterien konfrontiert sind, vor allem in Krankenhäusern, wo Infektionen durch multiresistente Bakterien vorherrschend sind.
Approximate English translation of this book review: (Curtesy of Babelfish )
Since the development of the first commercial antibiotic penicillin in the 1940's, expectations into these wonder drugs were not fulfilled. This is because bacteria become resistant to antibiotics - a problem which has been increased with the emergence of multi-resistant types. These pathogens are not susceptible to conventional antibiotics. Warnings of the World Health Organization underline the importance of this health problem and the necessity for the development of a more progressive class of antibiotics with new mechanisms.
This book gives details of current research projects and offers examples of new antimicrobial classes. Researchers from science and industry were involved in developing this collection of papers. The book consists of three areas: The first treats the origin and the development of antimicrobial resistances. The second area concentrates on the genetics and search for new target areas. The third section is dedicated to the development of new antibiotics. Different modern science disciplines are handled therein: Biophysics and biochemistry, molecular biology and genetic engineering, microbiology, medicine and pharmacology. This book is also of interest to physicians who are confronted with antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their daily work, particularly where infections with multi-resistant bacteria are prevailing.
Review by
CAB Abstracts www.cabi.org
CAB Abstracts December 2001.
Current research on the development of new antibiotic classes with novel modes of action is discussed in this book. The reviews are grouped into three areas, section 1 considering the problem of antimicrobial resistance, its development and current containment strategies. The second section covers microbial genomics and the search for novel targets and vaccines. Innate immunity and the development of microbial peptides based on host defences is addressed in the final section.
Review by
Bounchanh Vannapraseuth Microbiology Department, Gippsland Pathology Service, Traralgon, Victoria, Australia
Australian Journal of Medical Science 23 (1): 37-38. February 2002
The emergence of multi-resistant pathogenic bacteria to currently available antibiotics is a major global problem.
With the discovery of Penicillin in the 1940s, and many antimicrobial agents since then, many have thought that the book on infectious diseases had been closed.
Yet today, the fight against bacterial infections still continues. Globally, we find ourselves in a dilemma; many bacteria have developed resistance to many available antibiotics in the market, to the point that our antibiotic arsenal is nearly empty.
In many countries, availability and uses of antibiotics are hardly controlled. Our lifestyle, excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in human animal healthcare and agnculture as well as microbes' innate ability have contributed to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.
This book presents an overview of efforts between various scientists and pharmaceutical industries to keep one step ahead of bacteria through new emerging strategies to develop new classes of antibiotics.
The book is divided into 3 sections with 18 chapters in all. Each chapter is written by author(s), experts in their respective fields.
Section 1 deals with the emergence and origins of antibiotic resistance. Chapter two of this section covers mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria in great detail. This chapter will be great reading for those who are interested in the origin and evolution of antimicrobial resistance.
Section 2 concentrates on efforts to find novel therapeutic agents that can augment host defence during infections. This section discusses gene therapy, the possibIlity of using bacteria as vehicles for gene delivery.
Therapeutic immunisation is explored as pharmaceutical therapeutics do not usually address the needs of asymptomatic cases. In UTI, efforts have been directed to the purification of Fim H adhesion proteins to produce a vaccine to prevent UTI altogether.
Section 3 explores the possibility of pharmaceutical development for therapeutic purposes of anumicrobial peptides commonly found in animals and plants.
It must be stressed that this book is not about any specific antibiotics for the treatment of any specific diseases. The book targets a wide readership: laboratory workers research scientists, pharmaceutical industries etc.
Microbiology Today. 29: 103 (2002). Review by Pam Hunter.
This book is concerned predominantly with the development of possible strategies aimed at discovering navel approaches to antimicrobials and is a collection of disparate reviews, only loosely linked to the stated theme. The possible value of genomics and combinatonal chemistry is well covered as is the topic of vaccines, including the development of adhesin vaccines and the use of attenuated bacteria as delivery vehicles. There are only two chapters from industry, one of these, the final chapter, being an account of the commercial development of a peptide antibiotic. Although of great interest to some, this seems quite out of place in this book. There is much of interest in this book, but it is difficult to agree with the publisher's claim of it presenting current research on the development of new classes of antibiotics, or of it being 'essential reading for all microbiologists' especially at a price of 84.99.