Open AccessNew Developments in Vaccines, Inhibitors of Anthrax Toxins, and Antibiotic Therapeutics for Bacillus anthracis
Author(s) -
Jennifer M. Beierlein,
Amy C. Anderson
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
current medicinal chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1875-533X
pISSN - 0929-8673
DOI - 10.2174/092986711797636036
Subject(s) - bacillus anthracis , anthrax vaccines , anthrax toxin , microbiology and biotechnology , antibiotics , biology , bacteria , immunology , immunization , antigen , recombinant dna , biochemistry , dna vaccination , genetics , gene , fusion protein
Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent responsible for anthrax infections, poses a significant biodefense threat. There is a high mortality rate associated with untreated anthrax infections; specifically, inhalation anthrax is a particularly virulent form of infection with mortality rates close to 100%, even with aggressive treatment. Currently, a vaccine is not available to the general public and few antibiotics have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of inhalation anthrax. With the threat of natural or engineered bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the limited population for whom the current drugs are approved, there is a clear need for more effective treatments against this deadly infection. A comprehensive review of current research in drug discovery is presented in this article, including efforts to improve the purity and stability of vaccines, design inhibitors targeting the anthrax toxins, and identify inhibitors of novel enzyme targets. High resolution structural information for the anthrax toxins and several essential metabolic enzymes has played a significant role in aiding the structure-based design of potent and selective antibiotics.