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An ancient solution to a modern problem
Author(s) -
Davies Julian E.,
Behroozian Shekooh
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/mmi.14481
Subject(s) - biology , antimicrobial , battle , antibiotics , broad spectrum , natural (archaeology) , microbiology and biotechnology , ancient history , history , combinatorial chemistry , paleontology , chemistry
The dearth of new antibiotics and escalating emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria have created a global healthcare crisis and highlight the drastic need for novel antimicrobial agents. Complementary and alternative strategies including the investigation of ancient medicinals could address this problem. Natural clay minerals with a long history of medicinal and biomedical applications have become an interest due to their broad‐spectrum antimicrobial activity. Such untapped natural sources may provide new therapeutic agents in the battle against infectious diseases in the post‐antibiotic era.