title: Anti-virulence strategies to combat bacteria-mediated disease.
abstract: Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century. However, the increasing understanding of bacterial pathogenesis and intercellular communication has revealed many potential strategies to develop novel drugs to treat bacteria-mediated disease. Interference with bacterial virulence and/or cell-to-cell signalling pathways is an especially compelling approach, as it is thought to apply less selective pressure for the development of bacterial resistance than traditional strategies, which are aimed at killing bacteria or preventing their growth. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of bacterial virulence and present promising anti-virulence strategies and compounds for the future treatment of bacterial infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rasko
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sperandio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D015195:Drug Design; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014774:Virulence / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents