Pharmaceutical Bacteria and Fungi of Marine Ecosystems

This is the first comprehensive book on pharmaceutically important marine bacteria and fungi, based on a new concept "Marine Biopharmacy". It deals with the different species of bacteria and fungi present in seawater, sediment and in association with the marine fauna and flora; and their secondary metabolites and bioactivities. Microbe-associated infectious diseases remain the second-leading cause of death worldwide during the last 40 years, largely due to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance among bacteria, fungi, virus, and parasites.

There is an urgent need to develop novel antimicrobial compounds to treat infectious diseases, and the sea is an important source of these bioactive compounds (natural products) with different bioactivities. Natural products produced by marine bacteria and fungi may serve as potential sources of antibiotics in the years to come. This latest book in the Biology and Ecology of Pharmaceutical Marine Life series will be an invaluable reference for students and researchers of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marine/Fisheries Sciences, Marine Microbiology and Marine Biotechnology, as well as a guide for the pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new antibiotics or drugs from marine bacteria and fungi.