Perspectives on chemotherapeutic approaches to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the potential chemotherapeutic approaches to antibiotic resistance, what those approaches have achieved, and future avenues of exploration. Chemical modifications of existing agent classes, interference with resistance mechanisms, searches for inhibitors of novel targets, and alternatives to chemotherapy with low-molecular-weight molecules are discussed. The research focusing on novel targets and on alternative approaches is most likely to yield breakthroughs against problem organisms in the future.