Treatment of infectious disease: beyond antibiotics

Anshul Nigam; Divya Gupta; Ashwani Sharma

doi:10.1016/j.micres.2014.02.009

Treatment of infectious disease: beyond antibiotics

Microbiol Res. 2014 Sep-Oct;169(9-10):643-51. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2014.02.009. Epub 2014 Mar 1.

Authors

Anshul Nigam¹, Divya Gupta², Ashwani Sharma³

Affiliations

¹ IPLS Building, School of Life Science, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India. Electronic address: anshulnigam2006@gmail.com.
² Department of Biotechnology, Mangalayatan University, Beswan, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202145, India.
³ Computer-Chemie-Centrum, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nägelsbachstr. 25, 91052 Erlangen, Germany.

PMID: 24661689
DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2014.02.009

Abstract

Several antibiotics have been discovered following the discovery of penicillin. These antibiotics had been helpful in treatment of infectious diseases considered dread for centuries. The advent of multiple drug resistance in microbes has posed new challenge to researchers. The scientists are now evaluating alternatives for combating infectious diseases. This review focuses on major alternatives to antibiotics on which preliminary work had been carried out. These promising anti-microbial include: phages, bacteriocins, killing factors, antibacterial activities of non-antibiotic drugs and quorum quenching.

Keywords: Bacteriocins; Killing factors; Non-antibiotic drugs; Phages; Quorum quenching.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
Biological Therapy / methods*
Communicable Diseases / therapy*
Drug Resistance
Humans

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents