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Antibiotic Adjuvants: Diverse Strategies for Controlling Drug‐Resistant Pathogens
Author(s) -
Gill Erin E.,
Franco Octavio L.,
Hancock Robert. E. W.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chemical biology and drug design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1747-0285
pISSN - 1747-0277
DOI - 10.1111/cbdd.12478
Subject(s) - antibiotics , antimicrobial , phage therapy , drug , biology , immune system , medicine , antibiotic resistance , broad spectrum , microbiology and biotechnology , pharmacology , immunology , bacteriophage , chemistry , escherichia coli , biochemistry , combinatorial chemistry , gene
The growing number of bacterial pathogens that are resistant to numerous antibiotics is a cause for concern around the globe. There have been no new broad‐spectrum antibiotics developed in the last 40 years, and the drugs we have currently are quickly becoming ineffective. In this article, we explore a range of therapeutic strategies that could be employed in conjunction with antibiotics and may help to prolong the life span of these life‐saving drugs. Discussed topics include antiresistance drugs, which are administered to potentiate the effects of current antimicrobials in bacteria where they are no longer (or never were) effective; antivirulence drugs, which are directed against bacterial virulence factors; host‐directed therapies, which modulate the host's immune system to facilitate infection clearance; and alternative treatments, which include such therapies as oral rehydration for diarrhea, phage therapy, and probiotics. All of these avenues show promise for the treatment of bacterial infections and should be further investigated to explore their full potential in the face of a postantibiotic era.