| Popis: |
In recent years a marked increase in the resistance of many bacterial pathogens to conventional antibiotics has been observed. The most dramatic example of this process has been the appearance of bacterial strains that were susceptible to only a single clinically available antibiotic, vancomycin. More importantly, examples of bacterial resistance to this antibiotic are being reported. During the same time, a sharp decline occurred in numbers of new or modified antibiotics which have recently become available for medical practice (BAX 1997), raising the gloomy prognosis of an end to the antibiotic era. Thus, although this declaration is certainly premature, we consider it prudent to suggest other mechanisms for the development of alternative antibacterial strategies, particularly because of the progress made in the sequencing of bacterial genomes. This has opened the unparalleled possibility for designing new anti-infective therapies by providing an opportunity to identify molecular targets indispensable for bacterial growth and/or survival and pathogenesis (KNOWLES 1997). |
