Nature nurtures the design of new semi-synthetic macrolide antibiotics
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 30 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.137
Authors: Prabhavathi Fernandes, Evan Martens & David Pereira
Bacterial proteases, untapped antimicrobial drug targets
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 30 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.138
Authors: Elizabeth Culp & Gerard D Wright
Revisiting unexploited antibiotics in search of new antibacterial drug candidates: the case of MSD-819 (6-chloro-2-quinoxalinecarboxylic acid 1,4-dioxide)
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 30 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.140
Authors: Nicola Ooi & Alex J O'Neill
Quinoline and naphthalene derivatives from Saccharopolyspora sp. YIM M13568
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 30 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.142
Authors: Mingwei Sun, Jinhuan Ou, Wenjun Li & Chunhua Lu
8′-epimer of herbicidin F and its congeners from Streptomyces sp. YIM 66142
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 23 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.133
Authors: Ju-Cheng Zhang, Ya-Bin Yang, Guang-Yi Chen, Xiao-Zhan Li, Ming Hu, Bang-Yan Wang, Bao-Hui Ruan, Hao Zhou, Li-Xing Zhao & Zhong-Tao Ding
Anti-fungal activity of Ctn[15–34], the C-terminal peptide fragment of crotalicidin, a rattlesnake venom gland cathelicidin
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 23 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.135
Authors: Carolina Sidrim P Cavalcante, Cláudio B Falcão, Raquel OS Fontenelle, David Andreu & Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
In this brief article, we focus on Oxford University Press's role as the publisher of the JAC and how it supports authors and readers. The article defines the role of the publisher, as opposed to the Editorial team, Editorial Office or Society owner. It reviews three key functions at the publisher, namely, editorial, production and marketing.
In the past 40 years, medical mycology has gone from a curiosity in the basements of medical schools to a mainstream branch of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. Long gone are the days of carefully curated collections of organisms identified purely based on morphology and skill, the lack of therapeutic interventions beyond amphotericin B and the occasional strange case in the ward of a diabetic patient with mucormycosis. We highlight advances in medical mycology as reflected in the past 40 years of JAC.
Since the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy was first published in 1975, papers addressing therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) have been a regular feature. Initially they focused on laboratory aspects of drug concentration measurement then they changed more to the application of TDM in a clinical setting. Over its history, the Journal has provided its readership with the latest technological and scientific advances in TDM and has helped to drive changes in TDM that have directly impacted on patient care. These have varied from improvement in the quality of antimicrobial measurements through better identification of dosage regimens and TDM targets that help predict outcome and adverse events. Despite these advances in our understanding of the science and practice of TDM, there remain many areas of uncertainty. As we move into the next 40 years, it is clear that the Journal will continue to provide the readership with the latest science and opinion in this important area.
First reported in 2003, mosaic tetracycline resistance genes are a subgroup of the genes encoding ribosomal protection proteins (RPPs). They are formed when two or more RPP-encoding genes recombine resulting in a functional chimera. To date, the majority of mosaic genes are derived from sections of three RPP genes, tet(O), tet(W) and tet(32), with others comprising tet(M) and tet(S). In this first review of mosaic genes, we report on their structure, diversity and prevalence, and suggest that these genes may be responsible for an under-reported contribution to tetracycline resistance in bacteria.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been a focus of international attention since its identification in 2012. Epidemiologically it is characterized by sporadic community cases, which are amplified by hospital-based outbreaks. Healthcare facilities in 27 countries from most continents have experienced imported cases, with the most significant outbreak involving 186 cases in Korea. The mortality internationally is 36% and guidance for clinical management has yet to be developed. Most facilities and healthcare providers outside of the Middle East receiving patients have no or little experience in the clinical management of MERS. When a case does occur there is likely little time for a critical appraisal of the literature and putative pharmacological options. We identified published literature on the management of both MERS-CoV and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) through searches of PubMed and WHO and the US CDC websites up to 30 April 2016. A total of 101 publications were retrieved for critical appraisal. Most published literature on therapeutics for MERS are in vitro experiments, animal studies and case reports. Current treatment options for MERS can be categorized as: immunotherapy with virus-specific antibodies in convalescent plasma; polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies produced in vitro or in genetically modified animals; and antiviral agents. The use of any therapeutics in MERS-CoV remains investigational. The therapeutic agents with potential benefits and warranting further investigation include convalescent plasma, interferon-β/ribavirin combination therapy and lopinavir. Corticosteroids, ribavirin monotherapy and mycophenolic acid likely have toxicities that exceed potential benefits.
Bio-based production of fuels and industrial chemicals by repurposing antibiotic-producing type I modular polyketide synthases: opportunities and challenges
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 16 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.136
Authors: Satoshi Yuzawa, Jay D Keasling & Leonard Katz
Screening of NCI-DTP library to identify new drug candidates for Borrelia burgdorferi
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 9 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.131
Authors: Venkata Raveendra Pothineni, Dhananjay Wagh, Mustafeez Mujtaba Babar, Mohammed Inayathullah, R Edward Watts, Kwang-Min Kim, Mansi B Parekh, Abhijit Achyut Gurjarpadhye, David Solow-Cordero, Lobat Tayebi & Jayakumar Rajadas
A new cytotoxic and anti-fungal C-glycosylated benz[α]anthraquinone from the broth of endophytic Streptomyces blastomycetica strain F4-20
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 2 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.126
Authors: He Yan, Yang Li, Xing Y Zhang, Wan Y Zhou & Tao J Feng
Re-identification of the ascofuranone-producing fungus Ascochyta viciae as Acremonium sclerotigenum
The Journal of Antibiotics advance online publication, November 2 2016. doi:10.1038/ja.2016.132
Authors: Yasuaki Hijikawa, Motomichi Matsuzaki, Shigeo Suzuki, Daniel Ken Inaoka, Ryoko Tatsumi, Yasutoshi Kido & Kiyoshi Kita
