Human Monoclonal Antibodies as a New Class of Antiinfective Compounds

The concept of using “magic bullets” in the fight against infectious diseases was originally proposed by Paul Ehrlich, one of the founding fathers of immunology and of the basis of antiinfective therapy [1]. These “magic” compounds should have been able to target microbes without harming the infected host. Actually, this concept is the mainstay of antiinfective therapy, as we still know it today. What Dr. Ehrlich did not and could not foresee was the microbial ability of using “magic tricks” against therapeutic compounds, that is, of developing resistance mechanisms. This is true for all groups of pathogens and all classes of antiinfective drugs, making the need of reliable alternatives everyday more compelling [2–5].