Today, well over 100 commercial antibiotics are available to treat everything from minor nuisances to life-threatening infections, but their indiscriminate use for nonbacterial ailments and agriculture has led to a disturbing trend of antibiotic resistance. Researchers are hard at work searching for new approaches to treat bacterial illnesses in an effort to preserve modern life as we know it.

Antibacterials covers the topics relevant to entering this field of study. We discuss basic bacterial biology and the roles that bacteria play in the world. We also cover the history of antibacterials, both ancient and modern, as well as how commercial antibiotics work on a biochemical level. We examine the interplay between resistance, tolerance, and virulence, the threat that they pose, and ways that scientists are thinking about addressing them. Finally, we provide an overview of the antibacterial development process from initial lead discovery to clinical trials and commercialization.