title: Old and new targets of antibacterial therapy.
abstract: Currently available antibiotics target bacterial cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis, or DNA replication. Antibiotics that are structurally unrelated sometimes have common targets. Mutations in these common targets frequently give rise to bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. The impact of these bacteria in clinical situations is increasing whereas development of effective antibiotics for their treatment is not keeping pace. This emerging crisis in clinical care has led to intense efforts in new antibiotic development. Both improvements in currently available classes of antibiotics as well as discovery of completely novel ones are being aggressively sought. In this review, the mechanisms of action of available antibiotics will be discussed with emphasis on newly developed drugs. Also, some of the potential new targets of antibiotic therapy in the future will be highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, American University of Beirut-Medical Center, Lebanon. gdbaibo@aub.edu.lb
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Dbaibo
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors