Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: A paradigm shift from general to precision medicine

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health. It makes treating bacterial infections increasingly difficult. AMR arises from various mechanisms of antibiotic resistance including enzymatic inactivation, target alteration, efflux pumps, and decreased permeability. The limited and often ineffective treatments relying on antibiotics and their combinations result in increased morbidity and mortality.  Therefore, it is essential to explore alternative methods for combating the challenge of AMR. In recent years, there has been a notable shift towards precision medicine in the battle against AMR. Precision medicine, characterized by its focus on individualized treatment tailored to patients' specific genetic makeup, offers a paradigm shift in addressing AMR challenges. By pinpointing molecular targets responsible for infection, precision medicine enables more targeted and effective therapies, minimizing the risk of antimicrobial resistance development. Precision medicine can provide an alternative option to combat AMR by focusing on targets responsible for the infection. Bacteriophages and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are groups of antimicrobials that can serve as novel alternatives to antibiotics for combating the global antibiotic resistance challenge. They have the potential to be used as targeted therapy. Despite challenges such as limited host range, which refers to the specific bacteria they can infect, and regulatory concerns related to their approval and usage, bacteriophages have proven effective against bacteria causing infections. Meanwhile, AMPs provide a potential treatment approach against antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to their low molecular weight and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. AMPs can serve as a first line of defense against microorganisms. When used alone or combined with other biomaterials to increase therapeutic action, they can serve as a first line of defense against microorganisms. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding and clinical potential of bacteriophages and AMPs as alternatives to conventional antibiotics in addressing the pressing challenge of AMR.

URN:NBN:sciencein.cbl.2024.v11.662