Chapter 23 - Bacteriocins and antimicrobial peptides as an alternative to antibiotics

Abstract

Imprudent use of antibiotics in agriculture, veterinary practices, and human medicine has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic strains. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are infecting millions of people and causing mortality and morbidity worldwide. Mounting evidences on resistance to last-resort antibiotics among deadly pathogens have triggered intense research efforts to seek effective alternatives to antibiotics demonstrating multimode inhibitory action with a reduced propensity to develop cross-resistance. Bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides, and bacteriophages are among the suggested alternatives to antibiotics for effective control of drug-resistant pathogens. However, the use of phages has not been widely accepted due to regulatory issues, the narrow host range, and the possibility of phage-mediated transfer of genetic material to the bacterial host. Lactic acid bacteria-derived antimicrobial peptides and bacteriocins are increasingly gaining interest because of their dual applications in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Besides possessing a broad spectrum of activities against deadly pathogens, these molecules have less potential to elicit resistance. In these contexts, the present chapter is aimed at recapitulating bacteriocins, bacteriocins like inhibitory substances, eukaryotic antimicrobial peptides, and food-derived antimicrobial bioactive peptides by focusing their mechanistic action against clinically relevant MDR superbugs, while also pondering their safety aspects, advantages, and techno-functional limitations.