Review of Organic and Chemical Synthesis

Abstract

After the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming, antibiotics were regarded as wonder drugs for curing virtually all infections. However, the careless use and overconsumption of antibiotics in both human and veterinary medicine have led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Of major concern is the development of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, primarily because S. aureus is frequently associated with hospital and community-acquired infections. Infections with multi-drug resistant S. aureus have become responsible for huge healthcare costs and are projected to be responsible for more deaths this year in the United States than HIV/AIDS. Despite this increasing problem of antibiotic resistance, the number of different antibiotics available is dwindling and there are only a handful of new antibiotics in the drug development pipeline. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new antibacterial drugs preferably with new modes of action to potentially avoid cross-resistance.