Beta-Lactam Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria: Threats and Challenges

This timely book discusses antimicrobial drug resistance, specifically, the resistance against the beta-lactam class of antibiotics by Gram-Negative bacteria. The book is broadly divided into five sections. The first section describes the underlying mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. It gives an insight into the beta-lactamases, their types, classification, inhibitors, etc. The second section delves deep into the genetic basis of resistance. It talks about transposons, integrons, and insertion sequences associated with antibiotic-resistant genes. The following section describes phenotypic and molecular methods to detect beta-lactam resistance. The fourth section discusses the epidemiology and prevalence of beta-lactamases in the environment. The book’s last section describes the various therapeutic options to combat this growing public threat of antimicrobial resistance. It talks about the current reserve drugs, as well as the newer antibiotic agents that are in the pipeline.

This book is essential for clinical practitioners, students, and researchers in basic and medical microbiology.