Enzyme-Mediated Resistance to Antibiotics: Mechanisms, Dissemination, and Prospects for Inhibition

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or "superbugs," present an increasingly deadly threat to human health. The World Health Organization estimates that resistant bacteria now account for about 60% of nosocomial infections; the CDC estimates that of the ca. 60,000 deaths each year due to nosocomial infection, some 14,000 are the result of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. With chapters from the world's leading researchers and scholars in this field, Enzyme-Mediated Resistance to Antibiotics is a vital and timely overview of this critical subject.

Bacteria have evolved a wealth of different ways to resist the action of antibiotics, as well as to transfer these resistance traits once acquired. An important number of these mechanisms are mediated by enzymatic processes. Beta-Lactamases aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes are thoroughly discussed in this volume, as well as other enzymatic mechanisms that result in resistance. The different ways bacteria share resistance determinants, both vertically and horizontally, are also discussed. Finally, chapters offer strategies to control the dissemination of resistance genes and to combat these highly versatile inactivating enzymes.


This comprehensive volume will find a wide audience in researchers working in bacterial pathogenesis, enzymology, molecular microbiology, and antibiotic development. It will be indispensable for clinical research laboratories, hospitals, medical schools, and applied and pharmaceutical research laboratories.