Eskape Pathogens

This book explores the medical importance of Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp. (ESKAPE) pathogens, and the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance. It covers the antibiotic resistance profile and detection of ESKAPE pathogens, as well as the mechanistic understanding of antibiotic resistance in these pathogens. The book discusses standard microbiological techniques, including staining, morphological and cultural characteristics, biochemical properties, and serotyping, as well as nucleic acid amplification and molecular diagnostic techniques for the detection of ESKAPE pathogens. In addition, the book explores biochemical, molecular, and computational techniques for the determination of virulence factors of ESKAPE pathogens. It also examines the synthesis, structure, function, and inhibitors of virulence factors and biofilm components in these pathogens. The book explores various strategies for combating ESKAPE pathogens, including antibiotic adjuvants and their synergistic activity, phytochemicals as potential antibacterial agents, photodynamic therapy, antimicrobial peptides and antibacterial antibodies, antimicrobial activity of Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites, and bacteriophage therapy. Finally, the book discusses in silico and computational approaches for the inhibition of ESKAPE pathogens. This comprehensive book is of interest to researchers, students, and healthcare professionals interested in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of ESKAPE pathogens.

A vast majority of the world’s population lacks access to essential medicines and the provision of safe healthcare services. Medicinal plants and herbal medicines can be applied for pharmacognosy, or the discovery of new drugs, or as an aid for plant physiology studies. In recent years, there has been increased interest in the search for new chemical entities and the expression of resistance of many drugs available in the market has led to a shift in paradigm towards medicinal research. Herbal treatments, the most popular form of folk medicine, may become an important way of increasing access to healthcare services. Advanced Pharmacological Uses of Medicinal Plants and Natural Products provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of drug discovery from natural sources that allow for the effective treatment of human health problems without any side effects, toxicity, or drug resistance. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as ethnobotany, therapeutic applications, and bioactive compounds, this book is ideally designed for pharmacologists, scientists, ethnobotanists, botanists, health researchers, professors, industry professionals, and health students in fields that include pharmaceutical drug development and discovery.

Viral, Parasitic, Bacterial, and Fungal Infections: Antimicrobial, Host Defense, and Therapeutic Strategies highlight diverse types of infections, including viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal, and the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and other medications, nutraceuticals, and phytotherapeutics. This book addresses the molecular, pathophysiological, and cellular pathways involved in the process of infection. It also examines the host defense mechanisms modulated by innate and adaptive immunity. The book starts off with an introduction, which includes etiology, pathophysiology, and diagnosis of infections. It then goes on to cover a wide spectrum of salient features involved in viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal infections and effective therapeutic strategies. In addition, there is a complete section of eight chapters elaborating the detailed aspects of COVID-19 infections, Mucormycosis, Omicron, and strategic vaccines and therapeutics. The book further goes on to discuss novel antibiotics, vaccines, bromhexine, boron compounds, phytotherapeutics, and aspects on boosting immune competence. Contributed by experts in the fields of viral, parasitic, bacterial, and fungal infections, the book comprehensively details the various types of infections such as herpes and COVID-19, their molecular mechanisms, and treatment strategies for those engaged in the research of infectious diseases. Details the pathophysiology of various classes of infections Examines mechanisms of pathogenesis, immunity, and therapeutics in bacterial, viral, and eukaryotic infectious diseases Discusses various aspects on herpes, COVID-19 infections, Mucormycosis, Omicron, vaccines, and therapeutics Covers the salient features on zoonosis, prion disease, and diabetic foot infections Provides therapeutic strategies of using new antibiotics, vaccines, bromhexine, boron compounds, structurally diverse phytotherapeutics, immune enhancers, and other modalities for treating infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii are among the most common non-lactose-fermenting Gram-negative pathogens responsible for hospital-acquired infections, especially in intensive care units (ICUs). The treatment of infections caused by these bacteria is complicated due to the emergence of multi-drug resistance as the two species are noted for their intrinsic resistance to antimicrobial agents and their ability to acquire genetic elements that encode for resistance determinants. In both species, resistance to multiple classes of antimicrobial agents can seriously compromise the ability to treat infected patients, especially the immunocompromised. Consequently, very few antimicrobials remain as treatment options. Mechanisms of resistance in both of these pathogens include the production of β-lactamases and aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes as well as reduced or lack of expression of outer membrane proteins, mutations in topoisomerases, and up-regulation of efflux pumps. To that purpose, the findings of the studies included in this book deal with the prevalence of resistant isolates to various antimicrobial agents in both P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii, their underlying mechanisms of resistance, their virulence factors, their pathogenesis, and prospective treatment options. Special thanks are due to Mr. Bassam El-Hafi for facilitating procedures involved in this publication.

This edited book focuses on the application and implementation of bioremediation and other strategies to create a sustainable and healthy environment. It provides a collection of approaches to environmental biotechnology for wastewater treatment, removal of soil heavy metals, degradation of pesticides, removal of dyes, waste management, and microbial conversion of environmental pollutants. This book brings to the fore contributions of certain globally important environmental biotechnologist. Bioremediation is a popular branch of biotechnology that involves the use of living organisms such as microorganisms (microbial remediation), bacteria, fungus (mycoremediation), and plants (phytoremediation) to bind, extract, and clean up contaminants, pollutants, and toxins from soil, groundwater, and other environments. This book is of interest to researchers, scientists, and academic faculty in environmental sciences. Also, it serves as additional reading and reference material for undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdocs in environmental, agriculture, ecology, and soil sciences. National and International policy makers will also find valuable information from this book.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat that needs immediate attention and action from the scientific community. This book compiles and presents the latest and most important aspects of AMR, including the biology involved, its persistence and spread, and novel approaches to tackle this threat. The book first describes the mechanisms and spread of AMR, and then discusses the various approaches and strategies for combating it. Important topics include, microbial pathogenesis, AMR traits and major mechanisms underlying drug-resistance and the emerging strategies and technologies for combating AMR. Emphasis has been given on current developments about natural products including potent phyto-molecules, antimicrobial peptides and endophytes effective against the drug-resistant microbes and target the main drug-resistance determinants (efflux pumps, biofilms, quorum sensing, plasmids, etc.) in these bacterial pathogens. Other exciting topics include applications of nanomaterials in tackling AMR and CRISPR-Cas based precise sequence-specific antimicrobials. This informative book is meant for students and researchers in basic and medical microbiology and biotechnology. It is also useful to public health professionals and industry experts involved in AMR research and related drug-designing.