Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death globally, particularly among children and young adults. The spread of new pathogens and the threat of antimicrobial resistance pose particular challenges in combating these diseases. Major Infectious Diseases identifies feasible, cost-effective packages of interventions and strategies across delivery platforms to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, adult febrile illness, viral hepatitis, and neglected tropical diseases. The volume emphasizes the need to effectively address emerging antimicrobial resistance, strengthen health systems, and increase access to care. The attainable goals are to reduce incidence, develop innovative approaches, and optimize existing tools in resource-constrained settings.

An estimated 2 billion people, one third of the global population, are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. Spread through the air, this infectious disease killed 1.7 million in 2009, and is the leading killer of people with HIV. Tuberculosis (TB) is also a disease of poverty-the vast majority of tuberculosis deaths occur in the developing world. Exacerbating the devastation caused by TB is the growing threat of drug-resistant forms of the disease in many parts of the world. Drug-resistant tuberculosis presents a number of significant challenges in terms of controlling its spread, diagnosing patients quickly and accurately, and using drugs to treat patients effectively. In Russia in recent decades, the rise of these strains of TB, resistant to standard antibiotic treatment, has been exacerbated by the occurrence of social, political, and economic upheavals. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation, in conjunction with the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences held a workshop to discuss ways to fight the growing threat of drug-resistant TB. The New Profile of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Russia: A Global and Local Perspective: Summary of a Joint Workshop presents information from experts on the nature of this threat and how it can be addressed by exploring various treatment and diagnostic options.

Combination Therapy against Multidrug Resistance explores the potential of combination therapy as an efficient strategy to combat multi-drug resistance. Multidrug resistance (MDR) occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites are excessively exposed to antimicrobial drugs such as antibiotics, antifungals, or antivirals, and in response the microorganism undergoes mutations or develops different resistance mechanisms to combat the drug for its survival. MDR is becoming an increasingly serious problem in both developed and developing nations. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has developed faster than the production of new antibiotics, making bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat, and the same is true for a variety of other diseases. Combination therapy proves to be a promising strategy as it offers potential benefits such as a broad spectrum of efficacy, greater potency than the drugs used in monotherapy, improved safety and tolerability, and reduction in the number of resistant organisms. This book considers how combination therapy can be applied in multiple situations, including cancer, HIV, tuberculosis, fungal infections, and more. Combination Therapy Against Multidrug Resistance gathers the most relevant information on the prospects of combination therapy as a strategy to combat multridrug resistance and helping to motivate the industrial sector and government agencies to invest more in research and development of this strategy as a weapon to tackle the multidrug resistance problem. It will be useful to academics and researchers involved in the development of new antimicrobial or antiinfective agents and treatment strtategies to combat multidrug resistance. Clinicians and medical nurses working in the field of infection prevention and control (IPC) will also find the book relevant - Explores strategic methods with investigation of both short- and long-term goals to combat multidrug resistance - Presents a broad scope to understand fully the ways to apply combined therapy to multidrug resistance - Provides an overview of combination therapy, but also includes specific cases such as cancer, tuberculosis, HIV and malaria

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.

Nanotechnology Based Approaches for Tuberculosis Treatment discusses multiple nanotechnology-based approaches that may help overcome persisting limitations of conventional and traditional treatments. The book summarizes the types of nano drugs, their synthesis, formulation, characterization and applications, along with the most important administration routes. It also explores recent advances and achievements regarding therapeutic efficacy and provides possible future applications in this field. It will be a useful resource for investigators, pharmaceutical researchers, innovators and scientists working on technology advancements in the areas of targeted therapies, nano scale imaging systems, and diagnostic modalities in tuberculosis. - Addresses the gap between nanomedicine late discovery and early development of tuberculosis therapeutics - Explores tuberculosis nanomedicine standardization and characterization with newly developed treatment, diagnostic and treatment monitoring modalities - Covers the field thoroughly, from the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis, to treatment approaches using nanotechnology and different nanocarriers

Drug Discovery Targeting Drug-Resistant Bacteria explores the status and possible future of developments in fighting drug-resistant bacteria. The book covers the majority of microbial diseases and the drugs targeting them. In addition, it discusses the potential targeting strategies and innovative approaches to address drug resistance. It brings together academic and industrial experts working on discovering and developing drugs targeting drug-resistant (DR) bacterial pathogens. New drugs active against drug-resistant pathogens are discussed, along with new strategies being used to discover molecules acting via new modes of action. In addition, alternative therapies such as peptides and phages are included. Pharmaceutical scientists, microbiologists, medical professionals, pathologists, researchers in the field of drug discovery, infectious diseases and microbial drug discovery both in academia and in industrial settings will find this book helpful.

WHO has published a global TB report every year since 1997. The main aim of the report is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and of progress in prevention diagnosis and treatment of the disease at global regional and country levels. This is done in the context of recommended global TB strategies and targets endorsed by WHO?s Member States and broader development goals set by the United Nations (UN). The 2018 edition of the global TB report was released on 18 September in the lead up to the first-ever UN High Level Meeting on TB on 26 September 2018.

The emergence of extensively drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, especially in countries with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, is a serious threat to global public health and jeopardizes efforts to effectively control the disease. This publication offers updated recommendations for the diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis in a variety of geographical, economic and social settings, and the recording of data that enables the monitoring and evaluation of programs.--Publisher's description.

This global tuberculosis report is the first to be produced in the era of the SDGs and the End TB Strategy. It provides an assessment of the TB epidemic and progress in TB diagnosis, treatment, and prevention efforts as well as an overview of TB-specific financing and research. It also discusses the broader agenda of universal health coverage, social protection, and other SDGs that have an impact on health. Data was available for 202 countries and territories that account for over 99% of the world's population and TB cases.