Popis: |
Throughout the human experience, diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria have exerted an enormous negative impact on society. Today, for example, approximately one third of the world’s population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death in the world from infectious disease (Bloom, 1994). The emergence of effective antibacterial agents, from penicillin to more contemporary drugs, was initially thought to mark an end to the burden of microbial disease. However, subsequent events have illustrated the resiliency of bacteria to environmental pressures, including the threat of antibacterial agents. |