Antibacterials, also called antibiotics, are a type of antimicrobial drug used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infection. They may either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. A limited number of antibiotics also possess antiprotozoal activity. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as the common cold or influenza, and may be harmful when taken inappropriately. Antibiotics revolutionized medicine in the 20th century, and have together with vaccination led to the near eradication of diseases such as tuberculosis in the developed world. Their effectiveness and easy access led to overuse, especially in livestock raising, prompting bacteria to develop resistance. This has led to widespread problems with antimicrobial and antibiotic resistance, so much as to prompt the World Health Organization to classify antimicrobial resistance as a “serious threat [that] is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country”.
In the present book, twelve typical literatures about the application of antibacterial drug published on international authoritative journals were selected to introduce the worldwide newest progress, which contains reviews or original researches on medical science, virology, epidemiology, ect. We hope this book can demonstrate advances in antibacterial drug as well as give references to the researchers, students and other related people.