Antimicrobials: Past, Present, and Future

This book introduces antimicrobials and biotechnology, considering these from the focus of pharmaceutical microbiology. This focus offers an alternative perspective to the more traditional clinical focus. Hence, there is a strong emphasis upon research and development as well as drug efficacy.

A major theme is antimicrobial agents (and the role played by pharmaceutical microbiologists in developing and delivering these agents) and the growth in microbial resistance. In the last two decades, the rate at which bacteria are becoming resistant to current antibiotic treatments has substantially increased. This trend is threatening the ability of medical staff to carry out routine operations or transplants in the future. This has been compounded not only by microorganisms that are resistant to one antimicrobial or another, but due to the rise of multi-drug resistant microorganisms (the so-termed 'super bugs').

The book traces the development of antimicrobials and contextualises the different types that are available. Later the text looks at how natural and synthetic antibacterial agents work and describes the problems that resistance present for the next generation of scientists who will be required to develop new and more effective treatments. For the generation of alternatives, an understanding of biotechnology is required and hence this subject area represents another major theme considered throughout the text.