Iqbal Ahmad

John Pichtel

S. Hayat

This book is an up-to-date treatise on the impact of heavy metal pollution of agricultural soils primarily resulting from long-term application of wastewater, industrial effluents and sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition. It addresses soil health, soil-microbe interactions, heavy metal accumulation in soil, behavior of metals in soil and bioremediation besides other pertinent topics.

Problems and Remedies

Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil

Farrukh Aqil

Combating bacterial infections calls for a multidisciplinary approach and this is what is on offer here. Written by an experienced international team of researchers from various fields ranging from biotechnology to traditional medicine, the book provides complete and comprehensive coverage of topics relevant to new antibacterial drugs. This ready reference and handbook adopts a novel approach, focusing on combating multi-drug resistance in bacteria by developing antibacterials with new target sites, using new advances in drug discovery as well as natural products. Divided into three sections, the first describes the problem of drug resistance and the need for new drugs, while the second treats recent trends and new classes of drugs, including relevant developments in transcriptomics and proteomics leading to new antimicrobial drug discovery, and a new generation of antibiotics and non-antibiotics. The third section on natural products discusses the antibacterial action of phytocompounds, plant extracts, essential oils and honey as well as the role of probiotics in bacterial infections. Invaluable to students of medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, phytomedicine and microbiology and all those wanting to know about the possibilities and limitations of new antibacterial drugs. Furthermore, its coverage of plants and other natural products makes this relevant to the pharmaceutical and herbal industries.

New Strategies Combating Bacterial Infection

Nafees A. Khan

Naser A. Anjum

Armando C. Duarte

Shahid Umar

M. Eduarda Pereira

With the advent of the industrial revolution , the biosphere has been continuously polluted with a myriad of contaminants that urgently need global attention. In this perspective, most of the genera of the plant family Brassicaceae (Crucifereae or the mustard family) are a significant part of the plants- and associated microbes-based strategies adopted for the cleanup of varied contaminants from environmental compartments. Important genus such as Alyssum, Arabidopsis, Brassica and Thlaspi from Brassicaceae which, besides acting as an attractive genetic model, well-represent the metal hyperaccumulation among approximately 0.2% of all angiosperms and thus, play a key role in the phytoremediation technology. This book i) provides an exhaustive evaluation of the current status of contaminants (metals/metalloids)-addition to varied environmental compartments and its consequences, ii) offers comprehensive and state-of-the-art information on the significance of the plants from the family Brassicaceae in solving environmental pollution issues, iii) examines the physiological, biochemical and molecular-genetic strategies adopted by the plants from Brassicaceae for the remediation of and tolerance to varied environmental contaminants, and iv) supplies a broad reference to the field of environmental science and related disciplines. As a pioneer work and significant addition to the Environmental Pollution book series, the current volume promises to be a useful asset for researchers, students, other academicians and policy makers involved in sustainable remediation of varied environmental compartments.

Contribution Towards Phytoremediation

The Plant Family Brassicaceae

Shamsul Hayat

Here, an extremely experienced team of authors from five different continents provides a timely review of progress in the use and exploitation of soil bacteria to improve crop and plant growth. They present novel ideas on how to grow better, more successful crops, in an environmentally sound way, making this invaluable reading for those working in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological and agricultural industries.

Strategies and Techniques to Promote Plant Growth

Plant-Bacteria Interactions

Fohad Mabood Husain

Biofilms are predominant mode of life for microbes under natural conditions. The three-dimensional structure of the biofilm provides enhanced protection from physical, chemical and biological stress conditions to associated microbial communities. These complex and highly structured microbial communities play a vital role in maintaining the health of plants, soils and waters. Biofilm associated with plants may be pathogenic or beneficial based on the nature of their interactions. Pathogenic or undesirable biofilm requires control in many situations, including soil, plants, food and water. Written by leading experts from around the world, Biofilms in Plant and Soil Health provides an up-to-date review on various aspects of microbial biofilms, and suggests future and emerging trends in biofilms in plant and soil health. Issues are addressed in four sub areas: I) The fundamentals and significance of biofilm in plant and soil health, and the concept of mono and mixed biofilms by PGPR and fungal biofilms. II) Biochemical and molecular mechanisms in biofilm studies in plant associated bacteria, and techniques in studying biofilms and their characterization, gene expression and enhanced antimicrobial resistance in biofilms, as well as biotic and biotic factors affecting biofilm in vitro. III) The ecological significance of soil associated biofilms and stress management and bioremediation of contaminated soils and degraded ecosystems. IV) Pathogenic biofilm associated with plant and food and its control measures. This book is recommended for students and researchers working in agricultural and environmental microbiology, biotechnology, soil sciences, soil and plant health and plant protection. Researchers working in the area of quorum sensing, biofilm applications, and understanding microbiome of soil and plants will also find it useful.

Biofilms in Plant and Soil Health

Mohammad Owais

Mohammed Shahid

Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that are closely related to humans at cellular level. Human fungal pathogens belong to various classes of fungi, mainly zygo- cetes, ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, and deuteromycetes. In recent years, fungal infections have dramatically increased as a result of improved diagnosis, high frequency of catheterization, instrumentation, etc. However, the main cause remains the increasing number of immunosuppressed patients, mostly because of HIV infection and indiscriminate usage of antineoplastic and immunosuppressive agents, broad-spectrum antibiotics and prosthetic devices, and grafts in clinical settings. Presently available means of combating fungal infections are still weak and clumsy compared to control of bacterial infection. The present scenario of antifungal therapy is still based on two classes of antifungal drugs (polyenes and azoles). These drugs are effective in many cases, but display toxicity and limited spectrum of ef?cacy. The recent trend towards emergence of drug-resistant isolates in the clinic is an additional problem. In recent years, a few new antifungal drugs have entered the clinics, but they are expected to undergo same fate as the older antifungal drugs. The application of fungal genomics offers an unparalleled opportunity to develop novel antifungal drugs. However, it is too early to expect any novel drugs, as the antifungal drug discovery program is in the stage of infancy. Interestingly, several novel antifungal drug targets have been identi?ed and validated.

Problems and Remedy

Combating Fungal Infections

Kendra P. Rumbaugh

This book provides a survey of recent advances in the development of antibiofilm agents for clinical and environmental applications. The fact that microbes exist in structured communities called biofilms has slowly become accepted within the medical community. We now know that over 80% of all infectious diseases are biofilm-related; however, significant challenges still lie in our ability to diagnose and treat these extremely recalcitrant infections. Written by experts from around the globe, this book offers a valuable resource for medical professionals seeking to treat biofilm-related disease, academic and industry researchers interested in drug discovery and instructors who teach courses on microbial pathogenesis and medical microbiology.

From Diagnosis to Treatment and Prevention

Antibiofilm Agents

Maria E. Pereira

Phytotechnologies: Remediation of Environmental Contaminants highlights the use of natural and inherent traits of plants and associated microbes to exclude, accumulate, or metabolize a variety of contaminants, with the goal of efficiently and sustainably decontaminating the biosphere from unwanted hazardous compounds. Contributed by an internationa

Remediation of Environmental Contaminants

Phytotechnologies

Shamim Ahmad

This book compiles the latest information in the field of antibacterial discovery, especially with regard to the looming threat of multi-drug resistance. The respective chapters highlight the discovery of new antibacterial and anti-infective compounds derived from microbes, plants, and other natural sources. The potential applications of nanotechnology to the fields of antibacterial discovery and drug delivery are also discussed, and one section of the book is dedicated to the use of computational tools and metagenomics in antibiotic drug discovery. Techniques for efficient drug delivery are also covered. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the progress made in both antibacterial discovery and delivery, making it a valuable resource for academic researchers, as well as those working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Natural Compounds, Nanotechnology and Novel Synthetic Sources

Antibacterial Drug Discovery to Combat MDR

Farah Ahmad

This book focuses on successful application of microbial biotechnology in areas such as medicine, agriculture, environment and human health.

Iqbal Ahmad

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