Emergence of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in Freshwater Ecosystems (River) and Screening of Natural Therapeutics Against the Probable Drug Targets of Drug-Resistant Pathogens by Computational Biology Approaches

Abstract

Due to enormous accumulation of industrial effluents and wastes from various sources, the natural status of many freshwater bodies has distorted and created an ideal atmosphere for survival and swift proliferation of many bacterial pathogens. Major populations of these bacteria are coliforms, and they obtain additional characters due to the rapid changes in their chromosomal DNA; a major concern is the acquisition of drug-resistant genes. The emergence of multidrug resistance in these bacteria has become critical issue in many freshwater ecosystems globally. The conventional drugs against these bacteria are not effective therapeutic strategies which necessitates alternative therapeutic approaches. Computer-assisted drug discovery plays a profound role in screening novel herbal-based leads and similar natural leads against the probable drug targets such as drug-resistant gene products and toxins of the pathogenic bacteria. This chapter illustrates the recent concerns and issues related with water pollution in freshwater ecosystems and emphasizes major causes of the emergence of bacterial drug resistance in such water bodies. Further, it investigates the utility of many natural compounds especially herbal-based ligands as lead molecules against the probable drug targets of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens by computer-aided virtual screening.