Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(3), 498-518; doi:10.3390/md8030498
Review

Novel Anti-Infective Compounds from Marine Bacteria

Hafizur Rahman 1 email, Brian Austin 1,2,* email, Wilfrid J. Mitchell 1 email, Peter C. Morris 1 email, Derek J. Jamieson 1 email, David R. Adams 3 email, Andrew Mearns Spragg 4 email and Michael Schweizer 1 email
1 School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland, UK 2 Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK 3 Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland, UK 4 Aquapharm Biodiscovery Limited, European Centre for Marine Biotechnology, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 3 February 2010; in revised form: 1 March 2010 / Accepted: 2 March 2010 / Published: 5 March 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Anti-infective Agents)
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Abstract: As a result of the continuous evolution of microbial pathogens towards antibiotic-resistance, there have been demands for the development of new and effective antimicrobial compounds. Since the 1960s, the scientific literature has accumulated many publications about novel pharmaceutical compounds produced by a diverse range of marine bacteria. Indeed, marine micro-organisms continue to be a productive and successful focus for natural products research, with many newly isolated compounds possessing potentially valuable pharmacological activities. In this regard, the marine environment will undoubtedly prove to be an increasingly important source of novel antimicrobial metabolites, and selective or targeted approaches are already enabling the recovery of a significant number of antibiotic-producing micro-organisms. The aim of this review is to consider advances made in the discovery of new secondary metabolites derived from marine bacteria, and in particular those effective against the so called “superbugs”, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE), which are largely responsible for the increase in numbers of hospital acquired, i.e., nosocomial, infections.
Keywords: marine bacteria; MRSA; VRE; hospital superbugs; new scaffolds; antibiotic resistance; nosocomial infection

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Rahman, H.; Austin, B.; Mitchell, W.J.; Morris, P.C.; Jamieson, D.J.; Adams, D.R.; Spragg, A.M.; Schweizer, M. Novel Anti-Infective Compounds from Marine Bacteria. Mar. Drugs 2010, 8, 498-518.

AMA Style

Rahman H, Austin B, Mitchell WJ, Morris PC, Jamieson DJ, Adams DR, Spragg AM, Schweizer M. Novel Anti-Infective Compounds from Marine Bacteria. Marine Drugs. 2010; 8(3):498-518.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rahman, Hafizur; Austin, Brian; Mitchell, Wilfrid J.; Morris, Peter C.; Jamieson, Derek J.; Adams, David R.; Spragg, Andrew Mearns; Schweizer, Michael. 2010. "Novel Anti-Infective Compounds from Marine Bacteria." Mar. Drugs 8, no. 3: 498-518.

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