This book is a thorough, practical review of the challenges facing clinicians treating skin microbes and how to combat these therapeutic dilemmas. It expresses the critical public health concern of antimicrobial resistance and shows how microorganisms are developing the ability to halt the progress of antimicrobials like antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals. Chapters are grouped together in five sections for ease of use. The first three sections of the book convey foundational information on the mechanisms of antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals resistance, as well as the implications of lack of vaccination. The fourth section then turns to the specifics of drug resistance for protozoan and helminth infections focusing primarily on initial and subsequent resistance to treatment. The book closes with a discussion on the potential solutions of innovative therapy including new delivery mechanisms, broad-spectrum antibiotics, phytocompounds, and biofilms. Chapters feature magnified, microscopic photos for identifying structures as they appear on the skin. Part of the Updates in Clinical Dermatology series, Overcoming Antimicrobial Resistance of the Skin is an important resource relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is written for all medical healthcare professionals.

Technological Challenges in Antibiotic Discovery and Development is the summary of a workshop convened by the Chemical Sciences Roundtable in September 2013 to explore the current state of antibiotic discovery and examine the technology available to facilitate development. Through formal presentations and panel discussions, participants from academia, industry, federal research agencies discussed the technical challenges present and the incentives and disincentives industry faces in antibiotic development, and identified novel approaches to antibiotic discovery. Antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing problem in modern medicine and it is emerging as a pre-eminent public health threat. Each year in the United States alone, at least two million acquire serious infections with bacteria that are resistant to one or more antibiotics, and at least 23,000 people die annually as a direct result of these antibiotic-resistant infections. In addition to the toll on human life, antibiotic-resistant infections add considerable and avoidable costs to the already overburdened U.S. health care system. This report explores the challenges in overcoming antibiotic resistance, screening for new antibiotics, and delivering them to the sites of infection in the body. The report also discusses a path forward to develop the next generation of potent antimicrobial compounds capable of once again tilting the battle against microbial pathogens in favor of humans. Technological Challenges in Antibiotic Discovery and Development gives a broad view of the landscape of antibiotic development and the technological challenges and barriers to be overcome.

Fighting Multidrug Resistance with Herbal Extracts, Essential Oils and their Components offers scientists a single source aimed at fighting specific multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoans, viruses and fungi using natural products. This essential reference discusses herbal extracts and essential oils used or under investigation to treat MDR infections, as well as those containing antimicrobial activity that could be of potential interest in future studies against MDR microorganisms. The need to combat multidrug-resistant microorganisms is an urgent one and this book provides important coverage of mechanism of action, the advantages and disadvantages of using herbal extracts, essential oils and their components and more to aid researchers in effective antimicrobial drug discovery - Addresses the need to develop safe and effective approaches to coping with resistance to all classes of antimicrobial drugs - Provides readers with current evidence-based content aimed at using herbal extracts and essential oils in antimicrobial drug development - Includes chapters devoted to the activity of herbal products against herpes, AIDS, tuberculosis, drug-resistant cancer cells and more

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.

This Open Access volume provides in-depth analysis of the wide range of ethical issues associated with drug-resistant infectious diseases. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widely recognized to be one of the greatest threats to global public health in coming decades; and it has thus become a major topic of discussion among leading bioethicists and scholars from related disciplines including economics, epidemiology, law, and political theory. Topics covered in this volume include responsible use of antimicrobials; control of multi-resistant hospital-acquired infections; privacy and data collection; antibiotic use in childhood and at the end of life; agricultural and veterinary sources of resistance; resistant HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria; mandatory treatment; and trade-offs between current and future generations. As the first book focused on ethical issues associated with drug resistance, it makes a timely contribution to debates regarding practice and policy that are of crucial importance to global public health in the 21st century.

Years of using, misusing, and overusing antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant 'superbugs.' The IOM's Forum on Microbial Threats held a public workshop April 6-7 to discuss the nature and sources of drug-resistant pathogens, the implications for global health, and the strategies to lessen the current and future impact of these superbugs.

This fourth edition of the anthrax guidelines encompasses a systematic review of the extensive new scientific literature and relevant publications up to end 2007 including all the new information that emerged in the 3-4 years after the anthrax letter events. This updated edition provides information on the disease and its importance, its etiology and ecology, and offers guidance on the detection, diagnostic, epidemiology, disinfection and decontamination, treatment and prophylaxis procedures, as well as control and surveillance processes for anthrax in humans and animals. With two rounds of a rigorous peer-review process, it is a relevant source of information for the management of anthrax in humans and animals.

Emerging Nanotechnologies in Immunology aims to deliver a systematic and comprehensive review of data concerning the nature of interaction and nano-related risks between the nanophamaceuticals currently in the pipeline of S&T development for skin, ocular, and nasal drug delivery, including absorption, toxicity, and the ability to distribute after systemic exposure.The scientific development of manufactured nanomaterials for drug delivery is increasing rapidly. One of the most prominent applications is topical drug delivery, where cutaneous, ocular, and nasal exposure becomes even more relevant. These targets are the first barrier that nanoparticles encounter when in contact with the human body.The contributors addresses a representative set of the broad spectrum of nanopharmaceuticals currently being used, including cationic lipid nanoparticles, polymeric PLGA, PLA nanoparticles, biomacromolecules-based nanoparticles, and other scaffolds tissue engineered skin substitutes. Regulation and risk is also covered, since the safety of these nanophamaceuticals still represents a barrier to their wide innovative use. - Provides the reader with a thorough knowledge of the safety aspects of nanopharmaceuticals which are currently under research - Focuses on the characterization and quantification of the nanopharmaceuticals - Allows readers to understand the correlation between the nature of the materials and their potential nanotoxicological effects - Includes an overview of regulatory aspects related to the R&D of nanopharmaceuticals

Summary report published as technical document with reference number: WHO/HSE/PED/AIP/2014.2.

This book examines specific techniques which can be used to explore new drug targets and the effectiveness of new antibiotics. By testing new antimicrobial agents and modified existing drugs, the most vulnerable cell processes, such as cell wall and membrane synthesis, DNA replication, RNA transcription and protein synthesis, can be better exploited. This in-depth volume, however, delves even deeper by identifying additional novel cellular targets for these new therapies. The book will provide laboratory investigators with the vital tools they need to test the antimicrobial potential of products and to curb the rise of so many infectious diseases.