β-Lactams and β-Lactamase Inhibitors: Recent Advances
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 257
Special Issue Editor
Interests: antimicrobial resistance; antibiotics; beta-lactamase inhibitors; beta-lactamases; adjuvants; nosocomial pathogens; antivirulent compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major global health problems. It is estimated that by 2050, without new antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance will cause more deaths per year than cancer. The most diverse and widely used group of antibiotics in clinical practice is the beta-lactam group. Several mechanisms of bacterial resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics have been described. Among these, the production of inactivating enzymes (known as beta-lactamases) is the main mechanism in Gram-negative bacteria, while the modification of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) (the targets of beta-lactams) is the primary mechanism in Gram-positive bacteria.
In recent years, the use of new beta-lactams and beta-lactamase inhibitors has been approved, marking a turning point in the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. These include antibiotics such as ceftolozane and cefiderocol, as well as beta-lactamase inhibitors encompassing avibactam (in combination with ceftazidime) and vaborbactam (in combination with meropenem), among others. Despite these advances, continued research and development of new beta-lactams and beta-lactamase inhibitors is essential to combat infections caused by pathogens with limited treatment options, such as carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
The aim of this Special Issue is to provide new information related to the recently approved beta-lactam antibiotics and beta-lactamase inhibitors, as well as those in clinical or preclinical phases of development. Research papers, communications, short notes, and reviews on these topics are welcome.
Dr. Juan Carlos Vázquez-Ucha
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- beta-lactam
- beta-lactamase inhibitors
- antimicrobial resistance
- beta-lactamase
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