2. Academic Validation
  3. Small Molecules That Sabotage Bacterial Virulence

Small Molecules That Sabotage Bacterial Virulence

  • Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2017 Apr;38(4):339-362. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2017.01.004.
Benjamin K Johnson 1,  Robert B Abramovitch 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
  • 2 Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 28209403 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2017.01.004
Abstract

The continued rise of antibiotic-resistant Bacterial infections has motivated alternative strategies for target discovery and treatment of infections. Antivirulence therapies function through inhibition of in vivo required virulence factors to disarm the pathogen instead of directly targeting viability or growth. This approach to treating bacteria-mediated diseases may have advantages over traditional Antibiotics because it targets factors specific for pathogenesis, potentially reducing selection for resistance and limiting collateral damage to the resident microbiota. This review examines vulnerable molecular mechanisms used by bacteria to cause disease and the antivirulence compounds that sabotage these virulence pathways. By expanding the study of antimicrobial targets beyond those that are essential for growth, antivirulence strategies offer new and innovative opportunities to combat infectious diseases.

Keywords

antivirulence therapies; bacterial pathogenesis.

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