Bugs as Drugs
Bugs as Drugs

Author: Robert A. Britton

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2020-07-02

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 1555819702

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Examining the enormous potential of microbiome manipulation to improve health Associations between the composition of the intestinal microbiome and many human diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and cancer, have been elegantly described in the past decade. Now, whole-genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and precision gene-editing techniques are being combined with centuries-old therapies, such as fecal microbiota transplantation, to translate current research into new diagnostics and therapeutics to treat complex diseases. Bugs as Drugs provides a much-needed overview of microbes in therapies and will serve as an excellent resource for scientists and clinicians as they carry out research and clinical studies on investigating the roles the microbiota plays in health and disease. In Bugs as Drugs, editors Robert A. Britton and Patrice D. Cani have assembled a fascinating collection of reviews that chart the history, current efforts, and future prospects of using microorganisms to fight disease and improve health. Sections cover traditional uses of probiotics, next-generation microbial therapeutics, controlling infectious diseases, and indirect strategies for manipulating the host microbiome. Topics presented include: How well-established probiotics support and improve host health by improving the composition of the intestinal microbiota of the host and by modulating the host immune response. The use of gene editing and recombinant DNA techniques to create tailored probiotics and to characterize next-generation beneficial microbes. For example, engineering that improves the anti-inflammatory profile of probiotics can reduce the number of colonic polyps formed, and lactobacilli can be transformed into targeted delivery systems carrying therapeutic proteins or bioengineered bacteriophage. The association of specific microbiota composition with colorectal cancer, liver diseases, osteoporosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The gut microbiota has been proposed to serve as an organ involved in regulation of inflammation, immune function, and energy homeostasis. Fecal microbiota transplantation as a promising treatment for numerous diseases beyond C. difficile infection. Practical considerations for using fecal microbiota transplantation are provided, while it is acknowledged that more high-quality evidence is needed to ascertain the importance of strain specificity in positive treatment outcomes. Because systems biology approaches and synthetic engineering of microbes are now high-throughput and cost-effective, a much wider range of therapeutic possibilities can be explored and vetted.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria: A Challenge to Modern Medicine
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria: A Challenge to Modern Medicine

Author: Sadhana Sagar

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-11-14

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 9811398798

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This book summarizes the emerging trends in the field of antibiotic resistance of various gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial species. The ability of different species of bacteria to resist the antimicrobial agent has become a global problem. As such, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the advances in our understanding of the origin and mechanism of resistance, discusses the modern concept of the biochemical and genetic basis of antibacterial resistance and highlights the clinical and economic implications of the increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens and their ecotoxic effects. It also reviews various strategies to curtail the emergence and examines a number of innovative therapeutic approaches, such as CRISPR, phage therapy, nanoparticles and natural antimicrobials, to combat the spread of resistance.

Microbial Threats to Health
Microbial Threats to Health

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2003-08-25

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 0309185548

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Infectious diseases are a global hazard that puts every nation and every person at risk. The recent SARS outbreak is a prime example. Knowing neither geographic nor political borders, often arriving silently and lethally, microbial pathogens constitute a grave threat to the health of humans. Indeed, a majority of countries recently identified the spread of infectious disease as the greatest global problem they confront. Throughout history, humans have struggled to control both the causes and consequences of infectious diseases and we will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. Following up on a high-profile 1992 report from the Institute of Medicine, Microbial Threats to Health examines the current state of knowledge and policy pertaining to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases from around the globe. It examines the spectrum of microbial threats, factors in disease emergence, and the ultimate capacity of the United States to meet the challenges posed by microbial threats to human health. From the impact of war or technology on disease emergence to the development of enhanced disease surveillance and vaccine strategies, Microbial Threats to Health contains valuable information for researchers, students, health care providers, policymakers, public health officials. and the interested public.

Medical Microbiology E-Book
Medical Microbiology E-Book

Author: David Greenwood

Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences

Published: 2012-07-17

Total Pages: 795

ISBN-13: 0702051195

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Medical microbiology concerns the nature, distribution and activities of microbes and how they impact on health and wellbeing, most particularly as agents of infection. Infections remain a major global cause of mortality and in most hospitals around one in ten of those admitted will suffer from an infection acquired during their stay. The evolution of microbes presents a massive challenge to modern medicine and public health. The constant changes in viruses such as influenza, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and SARS demand vigilance and insight into the underlying process. Building on the huge success of previous editions, Medical Microbiology 18/e will inform and inspire a new generation of readers. Now fully revised and updated, initial sections cover the basic biology of microbes, infection and immunity and are followed by a systematic review of infective agents, their associated diseases and their control. A final integrating section addresses the essential principles of diagnosis, treatment and management. An unrivalled collection of international contributors continues to ensure the relevance of the book worldwide and complementary access to the complete online version on Student Consult further enhances the learning experience. Medical Microbiology is explicitly geared to clinical practice and is an ideal textbook for medical and biomedical students and specialist trainees. It will also prove invaluable to medical laboratory scientists and all other busy professionals who require a clear, current and most trusted guide to this fascinating field.

Beyond the Molecular Frontier
Beyond the Molecular Frontier

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2003-03-19

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0309168392

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Chemistry and chemical engineering have changed significantly in the last decade. They have broadened their scopeâ€"into biology, nanotechnology, materials science, computation, and advanced methods of process systems engineering and controlâ€"so much that the programs in most chemistry and chemical engineering departments now barely resemble the classical notion of chemistry. Beyond the Molecular Frontier brings together research, discovery, and invention across the entire spectrum of the chemical sciencesâ€"from fundamental, molecular-level chemistry to large-scale chemical processing technology. This reflects the way the field has evolved, the synergy at universities between research and education in chemistry and chemical engineering, and the way chemists and chemical engineers work together in industry. The astonishing developments in science and engineering during the 20th century have made it possible to dream of new goals that might previously have been considered unthinkable. This book identifies the key opportunities and challenges for the chemical sciences, from basic research to societal needs and from terrorism defense to environmental protection, and it looks at the ways in which chemists and chemical engineers can work together to contribute to an improved future.

Modern Medical Microbiology - The Fundamentals
Modern Medical Microbiology - The Fundamentals

Author: Stuart Clarke

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2003-09-26

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780340810446

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Modern Medical Microbiology - The Fundamentals is a unique text reference that represents the culmination of more than 70 articles written over eight years and brought together in one, easy-to-read volume. It describes in a chapter-by-chapter analysis, a vast range of common diseases and the micro-organisms that cause them as well as covering issues such as health and safety, molecular biology and bio-terrorism. The book is set apart from others in the field by its easy accessibility to the core information and fills the niche left by larger texts. Key features: ·covers all major diseases - each with its own concise chapter ·up to date - articles have been rewritten or revised ·handy, non-bulky format - easy to use ·written specifically for biomedical science students This book will prove to be an essential text for students of microbiology, trainee scientists and undergraduate medical students involved in any aspect of microbiology. Its easy to follow style will also appeal to those with a general interest in microbiology and the impact it has on the modern world.