Beyond antibiotics: New therapeutic approaches for bacterial infections

Alan R. Hauser*, Joan Mecsas, Donald T. Moir

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

115 Scopus citations

Abstract

The utility of conventional antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections has become increasingly strained due to increased rates of resistance coupled with reduced rates of development of new agents. As a result, multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant, and pandrug-resistant bacterial strains are now frequently encountered. This has led to fears of a "postantibiotic era" in which many bacterial infections will be untreatable. Alternative nonantibiotic treatment strategies need to be explored to ensure that a robust pipeline of effective therapies is available to clinicians. In this review, we highlight some of the recent developments in this area, such as the targeting of bacterial virulence factors, utilization of bacteriophages to kill bacteria, and manipulation of the microbiome to combat infections.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)89-95
Number of pages7
JournalClinical Infectious Diseases
Volume63
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2016

Keywords

  • Antivirulence therapy
  • Bacteria
  • Microbiome.
  • Phage therapy
  • Secretion systems

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases

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