NEW TRENDS IN ANTIMICROBIAL DEVELOPMENT

The continual evolution of microbial resistance to the available class es of antibiotics poses a serious threat to the efficacy of traditiona l antibacterial therapy. Today, there are two main approaches that are being applied to discover better and more effective anti-infective ag ents against common as well as resistant pathogens: (a) the improvemen t of the ''classical'' antimicrobial agents by targeting the so called ''resistance factors'', and (b) the search of new anti-infective agen ts with novel modes of actions. This review will highlight the most re levant aspects of both of these approaches and some of the latest find ings in the field of antimicrobial discovery.