Broad bacterial pathogens

Broad bacterial pathogens refers to a diverse collective of prokaryotic microorganisms, encompassing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative species, that are capable of causing infectious diseases in humans (StatPearls, 2023). This term does not represent a single molecular target, such as a specific receptor or enzyme, but rather describes the biological scope of activity for broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. These pathogens are responsible for a wide array of clinical conditions ranging from localized skin infections to life-threatening systemic conditions like sepsis and meningitis (NIH, 2022). Therapeutic strategies against these pathogens involve targeting essential, highly conserved bacterial structures or metabolic pathways that are absent or significantly different in human cells, such as the peptidoglycan cell wall or bacterial ribosomes (PubMed, 2021). The clinical management of broad bacterial pathogens is currently a major global health challenge due to the rapid emergence of multi-drug resistance and the collateral damage broad-spectrum therapies can inflict on the host's protective microbiota (CDC, 2023).

Other names

Broad-spectrum bacteriaGram-positive and Gram-negative bacteriaMulti-drug resistant bacteriaPathogenic bacteria

Broad-spectrum antibiotics target highly conserved bacterial processes including peptidoglycan cell wall synthesis (beta-lactams), protein synthesis via the 30S or 50S ribosomal subunits (tetracyclines, macrolides), and DNA replication via topoisomerase inhibition (fluoroquinolones) (NIH, 2022).