Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance

by Ola Sköld

Overview

This book, which is the translated version of a Swedish book, combines a general introduction of a variety of antibiotics with a more in-depth discussion of resistance. The focus on resistance in learning about antibiotics will help future scientists recognize the problem antibiotics resistance poses for medicinal and drug-related fields, and perhaps trigger more research and discoveries to fight antibiotic resistant strains.

Current overviews of the topic are included, along with specific discussions on the individual mechanisms (betalactams, glycopeptides, aminoglycosides, etc) used in various antibacterial agents and explanations of how resistances to those develop. Methods for counteracting resistance development in bacteria are discussed as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118075586
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	10/07/2011
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Ola Sköld, MD, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Microbiology at Uppsala University. He has also taught as a visiting professor at both the University of California and The University of Auckland in New Zealand. He is the author of over a hundred scientific papers published in international journals in the field of antibiotics and antibiotics resistance.

Table of Contents

1. Antibiotics, the Greatest Triumph of Scientific Medicine.

2. Distribution of Antibiotics.

3. Sulfonamides and Trimethoprim.

4. Betalactams.

5. Glycopeptides.

6. Aminoglycosides.

7. Further Antibiotics Interfering with Bacterial Protein Synthesis.

8. Quinolones.

9. Antibacterial Agents that are not Related to the Large Antibiotic Families.

10. Mechanisms for the Horizontal Spread of Antibiotic Resistance Among Bacterial.

11. How to Handle Resistance Against Antibiotics?

Editorial Reviews

This is a good book with good information about antibiotics. It fits nicely in the pocket of a laboratory coat and could be carried around by physicians. It concludes with a serious message — that we have enjoyed the use of antibiotics on a "loan from nature," and this loan is expiring with a "threat of foreclosure.”  (Doody’s, 6 April 2012)

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Rebecca T. Horvat, PhD, D (ABMM)(University of Kansas Medical Center)
Description: This compact book covers the basics of antibiotic activity and resistant mechanisms that have evolved since the introduction of these drugs into medicine and agriculture.
Purpose: These issues have become more important as pathogenic bacteria increasingly become resistant to antibiotics.
Audience: The book is written for healthcare professionals such as physicians, veterinarians, and pharmacists, but also could serve as a good source of information for medical students. The author is a distinguished faculty who has spent many years studying antibiotics and the resistance mechanisms that have developed in response to antibiotic treatments.
Features: A review of the history of antibiotics and their use in human disease begins the book. It explains how resistance to these drugs developed, which led to the discovery and invention of new antibiotics. Each of the antibiotic classes is covered in detail in separate chapters, which provide some history of how each drug was discovered and the development of antibiotic resistance, as well as the chemical structure of the antibiotic molecule. Additionally, the book describes how resistance to these drugs occurs and how the bacteria acquire this resistance. This part is especially detailed, describing the beta lactamases found in gram-negative bacteria, which can be complicated. The book concludes with a chapter of ideas on how to manage antibiotic resistance.
Assessment: This is a good book with good information about antibiotics. It fits nicely in the pocket of a laboratory coat and could be carried around by physicians. It concludes with a serious message — that we have enjoyed the use of antibiotics on a "loan from nature," and this loan is expiring with a "threat of foreclosure."

Doody's Review Service