About this Research Topic
Reports of scientific studies suggest that the development of antibacterial drugs is lagging behind the emergence of antibacterial resistance profiles, especially for major bacterial pathogens. Several antibacterial resistance profiles have been detected recently including the multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and pan-drug-resistant (PDR) phenotypes. Accordingly, the human health and efficiency of commonly used antibiotics are threatened seriously by MDR and XDR bacteria. Studies showed that at least 25,000 patients die each year in European hospitals from an infection due to MDR bacteria. Furthermore, the mortality rate for patients infected by XDR organisms is reported to be over 50 percent, which has led to increased healthcare costs. The impacts of resistant infections on healthcare costs are estimated at $20 billion yearly and they also result in 8 million additional hospital days in the United States.
Furthermore, over 30 percent of the pharmaceutical budgets of hospitals in the United States are spent on antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an antibiotic-resistant agent, which poses a remarkable threat to health care by causing ~19,000 deaths and a cost of $3-4 billion annually in the US. The number of cases influenced by MDR, XDR, and PDR Gram-negative bacteria, such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as MDR or XDR isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been growing continuously in recent years.
Recently published studies have reported the use of phages, nanoparticles (drugs-platforms), and natural compounds with antibiotics that may improve the performance of antibiotics. Furthermore, different management strategies have been implemented for combating resistant pathogens, such as (a) a comprehensive understanding of the nature of resistance in terms of molecular basis, evolution, and dissemination; (b) finding new chemical agents that have antibiotic properties; and (c) enhancing the efficiency of antibiotics using innovative techniques, such as combination therapy, increasingly resistant bacteria are on the rise. Therefore, alternative approaches are required to control resistant pathogens as antibiotic resistance is one of the most important challenges faced in a clinical setting. The aim of this article collection is to explore the use of combination therapy for enhancing antibiotic efficacy.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submissions of Original Research, Review, Mini review, Brief Research Report, and Case Report articles focusing on the efforts to address the use of nanoparticles, antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophages, natural compounds, photodynamic therapy, drug platforms, etc in combination with antibiotics that kills MDR bacteria but also suppress the biofilm formation and remove established biofilm. The scope of this collection is focused on the use of combination therapy to comprehend the inhibitory effects of antibiotics against MDR bacteria and open new frontiers in the treatment of MDR infections.
Furthermore, over 30 percent of the pharmaceutical budgets of hospitals in the United States are spent on antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an antibiotic-resistant agent, which poses a remarkable threat to health care by causing ~19,000 deaths and a cost of $3-4 billion annually in the US. The number of cases influenced by MDR, XDR, and PDR Gram-negative bacteria, such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as MDR or XDR isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been growing continuously in recent years.
Recently published studies have reported the use of phages, nanoparticles (drugs-platforms), and natural compounds with antibiotics that may improve the performance of antibiotics. Furthermore, different management strategies have been implemented for combating resistant pathogens, such as (a) a comprehensive understanding of the nature of resistance in terms of molecular basis, evolution, and dissemination; (b) finding new chemical agents that have antibiotic properties; and (c) enhancing the efficiency of antibiotics using innovative techniques, such as combination therapy, increasingly resistant bacteria are on the rise. Therefore, alternative approaches are required to control resistant pathogens as antibiotic resistance is one of the most important challenges faced in a clinical setting. The aim of this article collection is to explore the use of combination therapy for enhancing antibiotic efficacy.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submissions of Original Research, Review, Mini review, Brief Research Report, and Case Report articles focusing on the efforts to address the use of nanoparticles, antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophages, natural compounds, photodynamic therapy, drug platforms, etc in combination with antibiotics that kills MDR bacteria but also suppress the biofilm formation and remove established biofilm. The scope of this collection is focused on the use of combination therapy to comprehend the inhibitory effects of antibiotics against MDR bacteria and open new frontiers in the treatment of MDR infections.
Keywords: Antibiotic, Combination Therapy, Drug Resistance, Nanoparticles, Antimicrobial peptides, Bacteriophages, Natural Compounds, Photodynamic Therapy, Drug Platforms
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