Antimicrobials
Antimicrobials are substances that can kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. They are used to treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. Antimicrobials can be natural or synthetic and are a critical tool in combating infectious diseases and maintaining public health.
7 Key excerpts on "Antimicrobials"
eBook - ePub- Seyed Mohammad Nabavi, Monica Rosa Loizzo, Rosa Tundis(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Bentham Science Publishers(Publisher)
...Antimicrobial Agents Ovais Sideeq 1, 2, Fazlullah Khan 2, 3, Kamal Niaz 4, * 1 School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran 2 International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IC-TUMS), Tehran, Iran 3 Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran-1417614411, Iran 4 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Bio-Sciences, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences CUVAS), Bahawalpur-63100 Pakistan Abstract Antimicrobial agents have been the target of numerous research studies for a long period of history and they still attract great research interest namely in what regards to the discovery of newer molecules or the search for newer sources of natural Antimicrobials. Antimicrobial agents include drugs, supplements, and ointments which particularly act on bacteria, fungi, comprising molds and yeasts, viruses as well as parasites. Phytochemicals, essential oils, antimicrobial peptides, metal oxides like silver and gold, namely those found as nanoparticles, are being used to treat microbial infections. Antimicrobial pesticides, some of which are isolated from the bacteria themselves, are being studied to help eradicate pathogens in the clinic as well as being used by agricultural companies. There are also various food derivatives that are used as antimicrobial agents. In this chapter, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic antimicrobial agents, which include natural and synthesized molecules used as food additives, are addressed. An outlook of recent advances in drugs and other procedures of treating microbial infections is also given. This chapter also focuses on antimicrobial essential oils and antimicrobial pesticides with a closer look at the effects of heat and radiation as antimicrobial therapies. Keywords: Antimicrobial Peptides, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antiviral, Food, Physical agents. * Corresponding author Dr...
eBook - ePub- Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Alina Maria Holban, Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Alina Maria Holban(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
...Several indigenous applications are known for traditional Antimicrobials derived from natural resources that possess pharmaceutical and biomedical activities (Calo et al., 2015 ; Cleveland et al., 2001). As many of these compounds are safe to consume, their application in food preservation could be promising for consumers and manufacturers. Antimicrobials can be broadly categorized into three main categories based on their origin: those from microorganisms, animals, and plants. The present chapter includes a review of natural Antimicrobials from a range of sources and their key role in food preservation. 2. Antimicrobial Agents Derived From Microorganisms Due to an escalation in consumer concern about the synthetic chemicals used for food preservation, there is a trend toward less processed food and the use of active components from biomass. Many of the antimicrobial agents currently used in food biopreservation, such as nisin, natamycin, pediocin, reuterin, and so on, have been derived from the microbial world and are discussed below. 2.1. Bacteriocins Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized bacterial peptides or proteinaceous proteins with antimicrobial activity produced by several bacterial species. Bacteriocins were first reported in Escherichia coli in 1925 by André Gratia and his colleagues, who called them colicins (Cotter et al., 2005). The term “bacteriocins” is mostly used to describe the small, heat-stable cationic peptides synthesized by Gram-positive bacteria, namely lactic acid bacteria (LAB), that exhibit a broad spectrum of inhibitory effects toward several pathogenic bacterial isolates (García et al., 2010a ; Gharsallaoui et al., 2016). Nevertheless, most bacteriocins are relatively large proteins of up to 80 kDa in molecular weight that eradicate very closely related bacteria upon binding with the inner membrane or cytosolic targets...
eBook - ePubMicrobial Pesticides
Biological Resources, Production and Application
- Vladimir V. Gouli, Jose A.P. Marcelino, Svetlana Y. Gouli(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
...In addition, research is being carried on the development of probiotics based on antagonistic bacteria, and the isolation of nonprotein substances from prokaryotes microorganisms and eukaryotes. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms has stimulated research on new possibilities for biocontrol of pathogens affecting or infecting human, animal, and plant hosts. However, the emerging variety of antibiotic substances of microbial origin poses a novel problem related to the nomenclature and classification of these substances taking into account their biological origin, chemical nature, and mechanism of action. References Abedon S.T. Information phage therapy research should report. Pharmaceuticals. 2017;10(2):43. Addy H.S., Azizi N.F., Mihardjo P.A. Detection of bacterial wilt pathogen and isolation of its bacteriophage from banana in Lumajang area, Indonesia. Int. J. Agron. 2016;2016(2):1–7. Ahiwale S.A., Tagunde S., Khopkar S., Karni M., Gajbhiye M., Kapadnis B. Liquid based formulations of bacteriophages for the management of waterborne bacterial pathogens in water microcosms. Indian J. Exp. Biol. 2013;51:1038–1045. Aminov R.I. A brief history of the antibiotic era: lessons learned and challenges for the future. Front. Microbiol. 2010;134:1–20. Askary T.H. Fungal and bacterial nematicides in integrated nematode management strategies. Egypt. J. Biol. Pest Control. 2018;28:1–74. Bérdy J. Bioactive microbial metabolites. J. Antibiot. 2005;58(1):1–26. Boyetchko S.M., Peng G. Challenges and strategies for development of Mycoherbicides. In: Arora D.K., ed. Fungal Biotechnology in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Applications. New York: Marcel Dekker; 2004:11–121. Boyetchko S., Rosskopf E.N. Strategies for developing bioherbicides for sustainable weed Management. In: Singh H.P., Batish D.R., Kohli R.K., eds. Handbook for Sustainable Weed Management. New York, USA: Haworth Press, Inc.; 2006:393–420. Burges H.D. Formulation of mycoinsecticides...
eBook - ePubAntibiotic Resistance
Mechanisms and New Antimicrobial Approaches
- Kateryna Kon, Mahendra Rai, Kateryna Kon, Mahendra Rai(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
...A significant correlation has been demonstrated between the emergence of antibiotic resistance in microbes and the increased use of Antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, agriculture, community environment, and food industry. 11, 4 Therefore, there is a need for a coordinated multidisciplinary strategy for mitigating microbial antibiotic resistance. 12, 13 The World Health Organization has published comprehensive recommendations to curb the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by promoting the prudent use of Antimicrobials in humans, agriculture, and food animals. 14 In addition, novel classes of compounds have to be discovered and screened for antimicrobial efficacy against pathogens to develop new antibiotics. Historically, natural compounds have been the source of most antibiotics. In the past two decades, research efforts have intensified to search for Antimicrobials in various ecological niches such as deep ocean flora, 15 soil metagenome, 16 reptiles, 17 mammals, 18 and plants. 19, 20 The aim of this chapter is to highlight the potential of plant-derived compounds as novel Antimicrobials and discuss their efficacy in controlling the development of antibiotic resistance in microbes. The various fields where the application of plant compounds could lead to a reduction in bacterial antibiotic resistance are discussed. In addition, studies highlighting the diverse effects exerted by plant compounds on various factors that facilitate antibiotic resistance development are presented. Plant-Derived Antimicrobials Plant-derived compounds represent an untapped source of safe, effective, and environmentally friendly Antimicrobials. Plant extracts have traditionally being used as food preservatives, flavor enhancers, and dietary supplements to prevent food spoilage and improve health. In addition, plant compounds have been employed in complementary and herbal medicine to treat various diseases...
- Halldor Thormar, Halldor Thormar(Authors)
- 2010(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
...Introduction There has recently been a renewed interest in the antimicrobial effects of natural compounds which were commonly used as health remedies in the Western world until the advent of antibiotic drugs in the 1940s and 50s. After the emergence of antibiotics many previously fatal infections and infectious diseases were brought under control and millions of lives were saved. Due to the dramatic effect of the new synthetic drugs, some health professionals even believed that the threat to mankind of pathogenic microorganisms had finally been eliminated. The great success of chemotherapy, using synthetic antibiotics against bacterial and fungal infections and nucleoside analogues against viral infections, discouraged researchers and the pharmaceutical industry from making serious efforts to develop drugs containing simple natural compounds. However, this may now be changing, with the increasing problem of drug-resistant bacterial and viral strains, partly caused by drug overuse. Because the development of new drugs has not in all cases kept up with the emergence of new resistant strains of pathogens, such strains cause thousands of deaths annually, many in hospitals. Also, most synthetic drugs have more or less severe side effects, which affect a considerable number of patients. In spite of these drawbacks, the health benefits of antibiotics to humans and their domestic animals can hardly be overestimated. It has become apparent to many medical microbiologists and health professionals that besides synthetic drugs, which inhibit the replication of pathogenic microorganisms in a specific way, there may be a place for less specific antimicrobial compounds, microbicides, which kill the pathogens on contact. Microbicides could act in concert with specific antibiotics, launching a two-pronged attack on the invading pathogens. Direct killing, in addition to growth inhibition of pathogens, might make the formation of antibiotic-resistant strains less likely...
- Frank M. Aarestrup, Stefan Schwarz, Lina Maria Cavaco, Jianzhong Shen, Stefan Schwarz, Lina Maria Cavaco, Jianzhong Shen(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- ASM Press(Publisher)
...4 Mechanisms of Bacterial Resistance to Antimicrobial Agents Engeline van Duijkeren, 1 Anne-Kathrin Schink, 2 Marilyn C. Roberts, 3 Yang Wang, 4 Stefan Schwarz 2 INTRODUCTION With regard to their structures and functions, antimicrobial agents represent a highly diverse group of low-molecular-weight substances which interfere with bacterial growth, resulting in either a timely limited growth inhibition (bacteriostatic effect) or the killing of the bacteria (bactericidal effect). For more than 60 years, antimicrobial agents have been used to control bacterial infections in humans, animals, and plants. Nowadays, antimicrobial agents are among the most frequently used therapeutics in human and veterinary medicine (1, 2). In the early days of antimicrobial chemotherapy, antimicrobial resistance was not considered as an important problem, since the numbers of resistant strains were low and a large number of new highly effective antimicrobial agents of different classes were detected. These early antimicrobial agents represented products of the metabolic pathways of soil bacteria (e.g., Streptomyces, Bacillus) or fungi (e.g., Penicillium, Cephalosporium, Pleurotus) (Table 1) and provided their producers with a selective advantage in the fight for resources and the colonization of ecological niches (3). This in turn forced the susceptible bacteria living in close contact with the antimicrobial producers to develop and/or refine mechanisms to circumvent the inhibitory effects of antimicrobial agents. As a consequence, the origins of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents can be assumed to be in a time long before the clinical use of these substances...
eBook - ePubAdvances in Microbial Biotechnology
Current Trends and Future Prospects
- Pradeep Kumar, PhD., Jayanta Kumar Patra, Pranjal Chandra, Pradeep Kumar, PhD., Jayanta Kumar Patra, Pranjal Chandra(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Apple Academic Press(Publisher)
...cell, 498 f, 499 nanostructures, 499 observations, 497 vancomycin-resistant E. coli (VRE), 499 intracellular drug delivery vehicles, 500 – 501 metal and metal oxide, 489 Biotechnology, metal, antimicrobial property of, 488, 489, 490 – 492 t microbial infections, 487 new antibiotics, development of, 487 origin, 486 wound healing, 501 – 502 Antimicrobial textiles, antimicrobial agents, 214 antimicrobial finishes, classification of, 222 concern and challenges, 226 – 227 antimicrobial finishes and chemical nature, 221, 221 t antimicrobial properties, 220 application methodologies, 222 – 224 biological screening result, 219 business development strategies, 220 characteristics of, 224 – 226 classes. of, 216, 216 – 217 t cotton fabric, Aloe vera, 217 cross-linking agents, 218 diffusion agar test, 218 dimethyloldihydroxy ethylene urea, 218 functions of, 222 global diaper market, 220 herbs, 215 medicinal earth, 215 natural chitosan, 217 – 218 polymeric silver sulphadiazine, 219 polymers, antimicrobial efficacies of, 219 self-sterilizing fabrics, 220 shake flask test, 218 silver foil, 215 silver nitrate, 215 synthetic antimicrobial agents, 218 textile materials, 220 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), 155 Artemisia annua,, 352 Aspergillus fumigates,, 409 Ayurveda, 355 codified system of medicine, 332 – 333 holistic. approach, 335 microbes, concepts of, vs. disease terminologies in modern medicine, 338, 338 – 348 t Garha, classification of, 348, 349 t microbial infections, 336, 337 f supernatural’ and ‘superhuman, 364 microbial diseases, antibacterial effect, 351 – 352 antifungal and antiprotozoan effects, 352 – 353 antiviral effects, 350 – 351 fumigation, 354 probiotics, concept of, 353 – 354 trans-disciplinary approach, 349 pharmacology and medicines, concepts of¸, 335 physiological and biochemical parameters, 335 wellness and illness, 333 – 334 Azadirachta indica,, 350 Azospirillum spp., 169 – 170 agriculture,...
