Ribosome-targeting antibiotics and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance

This book is a review of current knowledge about antimicrobial drugs that act by inhibiting bacterial translation apparatus. It is a comprehensive handbook suitable for both students and researchers. The first part of the book gives an in-depth review of antibiotics that interfere with the ribosome and protein synthesis. The second part focuses on problems that may obstruct the development and launching of new antimicrobials. The last part describes mechanisms that bacteria use to achieve antibiotic resistance. Ribosomes and protein synthesis represent one of the main targets for antibiotics. The wide and careless use of antibiotics has contributed to the emergence of drug-resistant “superbugs”. Nevertheless the availability of structural data for the ribosome provides a good basis for designing novel translation inhibitors.