Antibiotic Discoveries and a Century of Creating Superbugs PDF Download

Author: Doreen E. Szollosi
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527592359
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
In the pre-antibiotic era, the infections we currently see as relatively minor were sometimes deadly. This book discusses the rise (and sometimes fall) of “wonder drugs” designed to combat infections for which, at the time, there was no cure. However, history has shown us that, when antibiotics are overused, it can ultimately lead to either widespread discontinuation of the antibiotic or a drastic decrease in efficacy, leaving healthcare providers with few or no options for treatment. This book explores the discoveries of the major antibiotic drug classes, and highlights major bacterial strains which have become resistant and now represent difficult-to-treat infections. Barriers to new antibiotic development, as well as novel strategies for treating bacterial infections, are also explored.

Author: Connie Goldsmith
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
ISBN: 0822566079
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
Explains how superbugs came to be, what scientists are doing to fight them, and how you can protect yourself against these microscopic menaces.

Author: Thomas J. Dougherty
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461414008
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 1119

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Book Description
This volume covers all aspects of the antibiotic discovery and development process through Phase II/III. The contributors, a group of highly experienced individuals in both academics and industry, include chapters on the need for new antibiotic compounds, strategies for screening for new antibiotics, sources of novel synthetic and natural antibiotics, discovery phases of lead development and optimization, and candidate compound nominations into development. Beyond discovery , the handbook will cover all of the studies to prepare for IND submission: Phase I (safety and dose ranging), progression to Phase II (efficacy), and Phase III (capturing desired initial indications). This book walks the reader through all aspects of the process, which has never been done before in a single reference. With the rise of antibiotic resistance and the increasing view that a crisis may be looming in infectious diseases, there are strong signs of renewed emphasis in antibiotic research. The purpose of the handbook is to offer a detailed overview of all aspects of the problem posed by antibiotic discovery and development.

Author: Matt McCarthy
Publisher: Avery
ISBN: 0735217505
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Science is racing against the clock to find new treatments in the fight against the antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as superbugs. McCarthy explores the history of bacteria and antibiotics, from Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, to obscure sources of innovative new medicines (often found in soil samples), to the cutting-edge DNA manipulation known as CRISPR. He brings to light how we arrived at this juncture of both incredible breakthrough and extreme vulnerability. We also meet patients whose lives are hanging in the balance, with rare infection, a compromised immune system, and more. -- adapted from jacket

Author: Nancy Day
Publisher: Enslow Publishing
ISBN: 9780766015883
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Not so long ago, antibiotics were considered miracle cures. The introduction of penicillin turned once fatal infections into minor problems. Tuberculosis, a fatal disease of the early twentieth century, seemed to disappear, but the appearance of microbes that are highly resistant to antibiotics in the late twentieth century meant that minor health problems were major again, and tuberculosis re-entered the scene. Author Nancy Day explains the history of antibiotics and how bacteria and protozoas have become resistant to antibiotic treatment. Day also discusses the fight against the overuse and abuse that have made antibiotics less effective.

Author: William Hall
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674985079
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Antibiotics are powerful drugs that can prevent and treat infections, but they are becoming less effective as a result of drug resistance. Resistance develops because the bacteria that antibiotics target can evolve ways to defend themselves against these drugs. When antibiotics fail, there is very little else to prevent an infection from spreading. Unnecessary use of antibiotics in both humans and animals accelerates the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria, with potentially catastrophic personal and global consequences. Our best defenses against infectious disease could cease to work, surgical procedures would become deadly, and we might return to a world where even small cuts are life-threatening. The problem of drug resistance already kills over one million people across the world every year and has huge economic costs. Without action, this problem will become significantly worse. Following from their work on the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, William Hall, Anthony McDonnell, and Jim O’Neill outline the major systematic failures that have led to this growing crisis. They also provide a set of solutions to tackle these global issues that governments, industry, and public health specialists can adopt. In addition to personal behavioral modifications, such as better handwashing regimens, Superbugs argues for mounting an offense against this threat through agricultural policy changes, an industrial research stimulus, and other broad-scale economic and social incentives.

Author: Tamara Thompson
Publisher: Greenhaven Publishing LLC
ISBN: 0737776560
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 129

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Book Description
Where do Antibiotic-resistant superbugs come from and what can we do to combat them? This volume takes a look at the issue from all angles; the role of government, where lobbyists and drug companies fit in, and how the overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial products may contribute to the problem.

Author: Jun Lin
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889195260
Category : Antibiotics
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Antibiotics represent one of the most successful forms of therapy in medicine. But the efficiency of antibiotics is compromised by the growing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Antibiotic resistance, which is implicated in elevated morbidity and mortality rates as well as in the increased treatment costs, is considered to be one of the major global public health threats (www.who.int/drugresistance/en/) and the magnitude of the problem recently prompted a number of international and national bodies to take actions to protect the public (http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/docs/road-map-amr_en.pdf: http://www.who.int/drugresistance/amr_global_action_plan/en/; http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/carb_national_strategy.pdf). Understanding the mechanisms by which bacteria successfully defend themselves against the antibiotic assault represent the main theme of this eBook published as a Research Topic in Frontiers in Microbiology, section of Antimicrobials, Resistance, and Chemotherapy. The articles in the eBook update the reader on various aspects and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. A better understanding of these mechanisms should facilitate the development of means to potentiate the efficacy and increase the lifespan of antibiotics while minimizing the emergence of antibiotic resistance among pathogens.

Author: Steffanie Strathdee
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0316418072
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
An electrifying memoir of one woman's extraordinary effort to save her husband's life-and the discovery of a forgotten cure that has the potential to save millions more. "A memoir that reads like a thriller." -New York Times Book Review "A fascinating and terrifying peek into the devastating outcomes of antibiotic misuse-and what happens when standard health care falls short." -Scientific American Epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee and her husband, psychologist Tom Patterson, were vacationing in Egypt when Tom came down with a stomach bug. What at first seemed like a case of food poisoning quickly turned critical, and by the time Tom had been transferred via emergency medevac to the world-class medical center at UC San Diego, where both he and Steffanie worked, blood work revealed why modern medicine was failing: Tom was fighting one of the most dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world. Frantic, Steffanie combed through research old and new and came across phage therapy: the idea that the right virus, aka "the perfect predator," can kill even the most lethal bacteria. Phage treatment had fallen out of favor almost 100 years ago, after antibiotic use went mainstream. Now, with time running out, Steffanie appealed to phage researchers all over the world for help. She found allies at the FDA, researchers from Texas A&M, and a clandestine Navy biomedical center -- and together they resurrected a forgotten cure. A nail-biting medical mystery, The Perfect Predator is a story of love and survival against all odds, and the (re)discovery of a powerful new weapon in the global superbug crisis.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309180686
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 102

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Book Description
Humans coexist with millions of harmless microorganisms, but emerging diseases, resistance to antibiotics, and the threat of bioterrorism are forcing scientists to look for new ways to confront the microbes that do pose a danger. This report identifies innovative approaches to the development of antimicrobial drugs and vaccines based on a greater understanding of how the human immune system interacts with both good and bad microbes. The report concludes that the development of a single superdrug to fight all infectious agents is unrealistic.