The value of antimicrobial peptides in the age of resistance

Accelerating growth and global expansion of antimicrobial resistance has deepened the need for discovery of novel antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial peptides have clear advantages over conventional antibiotics which include slower emergence of resistance, broad-spectrum antibiofilm activity, and the ability to favourably modulate the host immune response. Broad bacterial susceptibility to antimicrobial peptides offers an additional tool to expand knowledge about the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. Structural and functional limitations, combined with a stricter regulatory environment, have hampered the clinical translation of antimicrobial peptides as potential therapeutic agents. Existing computational and experimental tools attempt to ease the preclinical and clinical development of antimicrobial peptides as novel therapeutics. This Review identifies the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of using antimicrobial peptides against multidrug-resistant pathogens, highlights advances in the deployment of novel promising antimicrobial peptides, and underlines the needs and priorities in designing focused development strategies taking into account the most advanced tools available. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Zoonoses emergentes e reemergentes e sua importância para saúde e produção animal

The factors for disease emergence or reemergence are little known and understood, but the main one is the expansion of the human population. Other factors include climate change, globalization, and intensification of animal production. This is disturbing, given that 75% of emerging or reemerging human diseases of the last century are zoonoses, that is, animal diseases, which, besides causing human and animal fatalities, affect the economy of countries. It is estimated that the impact of animal diseases exceeds 20% of the losses in animal production worldwide. Brazil is a major agricultural producer and has most of its territory in the tropical region, harboring the greatest environmental biodiversity of the globe. Studies have pointed the Amazon region as a hot spot where diseases have emerged or will emerge. In this context, the formation of a cooperation network with strategic actions for monitoring, research, communication, and training is recommended. It is essential to foster partnerships in the areas of health, agriculture, and environment for a prompt national and global response. The objective of this work was to address the main factors involved in the emergence or reemergence of zoonoses, as well as future threats and the strategic importance of Brazilian research and surveillance.Os fatores para a emergência ou a reemergência de doenças são pouco conhecidos e entendidos, mas o principal é a expansão da população humana. Outros fatores incluem mudanças climáticas, globalização e intensificação da produção animal. Isto é preocupante, já que 75% das doenças humanas emergentes ou reemergentes do último século são zoonoses, isto é, doenças de origem animal, que, além de causarem fatalidades humanas e animais, afetam a economia de países. Estima-se que o impacto das doenças animais exceda 20% das perdas na produção animal mundialmente. O Brasil é um grande produtor agrícola e tem grande parte de seu território em região tropical, abrigando a maior biodiversidade ambiental do globo. Estudos tem apontado a região Amazônica entre um dos “hot spots” onde doenças surgiram ou poderão emergir. Nesse contexto, recomenda-se a formação de uma rede de cooperação com ações estratégicas em vigilância, pesquisa, comunicação e capacitação. É fundamental fomentar parcerias nas áreas de saúde, agricultura e meio‑ambiente para pronta‑resposta nacional e global. O objetivo deste trabalho foi abordar os principais fatores envolvidos na emergência ou na reemergência de zoonoses, bem como as ameaças futuras e a importância estratégica da pesquisa e da vigilância no Brasil