Infectious Diseases and HIV Conference

The core of modern medicine consists of antimicrobial agents that have essentially completed the cure of most infectious diseases. However, growing rapidly is resistance, which limits their use and makes them ineffective. This session will discuss the mechanism of actions of various antimicrobial agents, the emergence of resistance, and future directions in new therapeutics development. Antimicrobial agents constitute a broad class of drugs, including antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antiparasitics.

This lecture will consider an overview of the classes of antimicrobial agents, their mechanisms of action, and their application in clinical practice. During this session, you shall learn how these agents target specific components of microbial cells to cause inhibition of growth or destruction of pathogens. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance as an issue in public health is critically important because it reduces the efficacy of available treatments.

This session will discuss the mechanisms responsible for the development of resistance through genetic mutations, horizontal gene transfer, and biofilm formation. Clinical implications of AMR will be discussed as treatment failure and enhanced rates of morbidity and mortality. It is only through effective application that we can potentially maximize benefits while at the same time minimizing risks of resistance. In this session, we will discuss current guidelines related to responsible use of antimicrobials, focusing much on antibiotic stewardship programs.

It would provide great information to learn strategies for optimizing antimicrobial prescribing, such as selecting appropriate antimicrobial agents, dosing, and the duration of therapy. With the rising difficulties of developing new antimicrobial agents due to the strong economic, scientific, and regulatory barriers coming their way, it has all become increasingly difficult to develop.

This session discusses the barriers: high cost, innovations required in drug development, especially in trying to find new targets and how complexities arise in clinical trials. New approaches in drug discovery to meet such challenges will be discussed, as well, toward innovative methods, such as alternative therapies including bacteriophages, combination therapies for better efficacy, and other new approaches. The final session will be about the future directions in the antimicrobial research and development.

The participants will discuss the collaboration between the stake holders such as academia, industry and sectors of public health in countering the crisis emerging from AMR.

The focus will be on an investment in research, surveillance, education towards promotion of the responsible use of the antimicrobial agents hence improving the health outcomes globally.