Preface to the sixth edition x 1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 1 1. 1 The social and economic importance of antimicrobial agents 1 1. 2 All outhne of the historical development of antimicrobial agents 2 1. 3 Reasons for studying the biochemistry and molecular biology of antimicrobial compounds 9 1. 4 Uncovering the molecular basis of antimicrobial action iO 1. 5 Current trends in the discovery of antimicrobial drugs 14 1. 6 . Scope and layout of the book 15 2 VULNERABLE SHIELDS-THE CELL WALLS OF BACTERIA AND FUNGI 17 2. 1 Functions of the ceU wall 17 2. 2 . Structure of the bacterial wall 17 2. 3 Structure and biosynthesis of peptidoglycan 22 2. 4 Antibiotics that inhibit peptidoglycan biosynthesis 29 2. 5 Drugs that interfere with the biosynthesis of the cell wall of mycobacteria 39 2. 6 The fungal cell wall as a target for antifungal drugs 41 3 ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CELL MEMBRANES 47 3. 1 Microbe killers: antiseptics and disinfectants 47 3. 2 Cationic peptide antibiotics 52 3. 3 lonophoric antibiotics 54 3. 4 Antifungal agents that interfere with the function and biosynthesis of membrane sterols 59 4 INHIBITORS OF NUCLEIC ACID BIOSYNTHESIS 65 4. 1 Compounds affecting the biosynthesis and utilization of nucleotide precursors 66 4. 2 Nucleoside analogues 70 4. 3 Inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase of the human immunodeficiency virus 72 4. 4 Antibacterial inhibitors of topoisomerases 75 4.
From the reviews of the sixth edition:
"This sixth edition builds on the successful formula of its predecessors with an accessible small format, clear diagrams and illustrations, key antibiotic structures and an engaging explanatory text. ... the great strength ... is that it has managed to convey the essentials of the topic without ... expanding in girth at each edition. ... this book remains the first port of call for those requiring an overview of the topic or seeking a starting point for more in-depth information on an unfamiliar antimicrobial."
(Jonathan H Cove, British Toxicology Society Newsletter, Winter, 2005)
"This sixth edition builds on the successful formula of its predecessors with an accessible small format, clear diagrams and illustrations, key antibiotic structures and an engaging explanatory text. ... the great strength ... is that it has managed to convey the essentials of the topic without ... expanding in girth at each edition. ... this book remains the first port of call for those requiring an overview of the topic or seeking a starting point for more in-depth information on an unfamiliar antimicrobial."
(Jonathan H Cove, British Toxicology Society Newsletter, Winter, 2005)