Preface to the sixth edition x 1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 1 1. 1 The social and economic importance of antimicrobial agents 1 1. 2 All outhne of the historical development of antimicrobial agents 2 1. 3 Reasons for studying the biochemistry and molecular biology of antimicrobial compounds 9 1. 4 Uncovering the molecular basis of antimicrobial action iO 1. 5 Current trends in the discovery of antimicrobial drugs 14 1. 6 . Scope and layout of the book 15 2 VULNERABLE SHIELDS—THE CELL WALLS OF BACTERIA AND FUNGI 17 2. 1 Functions of the ceU wall 17 2. 2 . Structure of the bacterial wall 17 2. 3 Structure and biosynthesis of peptidoglycan 22 2. 4 Antibiotics that inhibit peptidoglycan biosynthesis 29 2. 5 Drugs that interfere with the biosynthesis of the cell wall of mycobacteria 39 2. 6 The fungal cell wall as a target for antifungal drugs 41 3 ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CELL MEMBRANES 47 3. 1 Microbe killers: antiseptics and disinfectants 47 3. 2 Cationic peptide antibiotics 52 3. 3 lonophoric antibiotics 54 3. 4 Antifungal agents that interfere with the function and biosynthesis of membrane sterols 59 4 INHIBITORS OF NUCLEIC ACID BIOSYNTHESIS 65 4. 1 Compounds affecting the biosynthesis and utilization of nucleotide precursors 66 4. 2 Nucleoside analogues 70 4. 3 Inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase of the human immunodeficiency virus 72 4. 4 Antibacterial inhibitors of topoisomerases 75 4.
