Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance
Since their discovery in the early 20th century, antibiotics have been used as the primary weapon against bacterial infections. Due to their prophylactic effect, they are also used as part of the cocktail of drugs given to treat complex diseases such as cancer or during surgery, in order to prevent...
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doaj-5cc8c5e525134ec3a3a4b1313d583d5d2020-11-24T22:07:35ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1422-00672019-03-01206125510.3390/ijms20061255ijms20061255Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic ResistanceAna Monserrat-Martinez0Yann Gambin1Emma Sierecki2European Molecular Biology Laboratory Australia (EMBL Australia) Node in Single Molecule Science, Sydney, NSW 2031, AustraliaEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory Australia (EMBL Australia) Node in Single Molecule Science, Sydney, NSW 2031, AustraliaEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory Australia (EMBL Australia) Node in Single Molecule Science, Sydney, NSW 2031, AustraliaSince their discovery in the early 20th century, antibiotics have been used as the primary weapon against bacterial infections. Due to their prophylactic effect, they are also used as part of the cocktail of drugs given to treat complex diseases such as cancer or during surgery, in order to prevent infection. This has resulted in a decrease of mortality from infectious diseases and an increase in life expectancy in the last 100 years. However, as a consequence of administering antibiotics broadly to the population and sometimes misusing them, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have appeared. The emergence of resistant strains is a global health threat to humanity. Highly-resistant bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant) or Enterococcus faecium (vancomycin-resistant) have led to complications in intensive care units, increasing medical costs and putting patient lives at risk. The appearance of these resistant strains together with the difficulty in finding new antimicrobials has alarmed the scientific community. Most of the strategies currently employed to develop new antibiotics point towards novel approaches for drug design based on prodrugs or rational design of new molecules. However, targeting crucial bacterial processes by these means will keep creating evolutionary pressure towards drug resistance. In this review, we discuss antibiotic resistance and new options for antibiotic discovery, focusing in particular on new alternatives aiming to disarm the bacteria or empower the host to avoid disease onset.http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/6/1255antibiotic resistancehost–pathogen interactionsbacterial effectorsprotein–protein interactionsantimicrobial peptides and proteins |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Ana Monserrat-Martinez Yann Gambin Emma Sierecki |
spellingShingle |
Ana Monserrat-Martinez Yann Gambin Emma Sierecki Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance International Journal of Molecular Sciences antibiotic resistance host–pathogen interactions bacterial effectors protein–protein interactions antimicrobial peptides and proteins |
author_facet |
Ana Monserrat-Martinez Yann Gambin Emma Sierecki |
author_sort |
Ana Monserrat-Martinez |
title |
Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance |
title_short |
Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance |
title_full |
Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance |
title_fullStr |
Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance |
title_full_unstemmed |
Thinking Outside the Bug: Molecular Targets and Strategies to Overcome Antibiotic Resistance |
title_sort |
thinking outside the bug: molecular targets and strategies to overcome antibiotic resistance |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
issn |
1422-0067 |
publishDate |
2019-03-01 |
description |
Since their discovery in the early 20th century, antibiotics have been used as the primary weapon against bacterial infections. Due to their prophylactic effect, they are also used as part of the cocktail of drugs given to treat complex diseases such as cancer or during surgery, in order to prevent infection. This has resulted in a decrease of mortality from infectious diseases and an increase in life expectancy in the last 100 years. However, as a consequence of administering antibiotics broadly to the population and sometimes misusing them, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have appeared. The emergence of resistant strains is a global health threat to humanity. Highly-resistant bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant) or Enterococcus faecium (vancomycin-resistant) have led to complications in intensive care units, increasing medical costs and putting patient lives at risk. The appearance of these resistant strains together with the difficulty in finding new antimicrobials has alarmed the scientific community. Most of the strategies currently employed to develop new antibiotics point towards novel approaches for drug design based on prodrugs or rational design of new molecules. However, targeting crucial bacterial processes by these means will keep creating evolutionary pressure towards drug resistance. In this review, we discuss antibiotic resistance and new options for antibiotic discovery, focusing in particular on new alternatives aiming to disarm the bacteria or empower the host to avoid disease onset. |
topic |
antibiotic resistance host–pathogen interactions bacterial effectors protein–protein interactions antimicrobial peptides and proteins |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/6/1255 |
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