Antimicrobials in Agriculture

This book offers comprehensive coverage of all manifestations of resistance in combating infectious diseases and explores advances in antimicrobials in agriculture and their applications in the fight against microbes. According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to global health because the number of alternative antibiotics is very limited. Antimicrobial resistance is a slow, evolutionary process that has been accelerated by human activities in the health, environment, and agriculture sectors. Due to their wide application, antibiotics and their residues have been found in almost all food products and natural ecosystems. This book appraises the drivers, impact, and mitigation of antimicrobials, with a focus on methods and targets. In addition, it also provides a variety of photographs, diagrams, and tables to help illustrate the material. The novel strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance are also described, emphasizing collaborative measures of control. The underlying molecular mechanisms, which depend not only on the microbe but on the specific drug molecule, are highly diverse and are covered in detail. Students, researchers, scientists, practitioners, academicians, biologists, microbiologists, stakeholders, and policymakers can benefit from current trends in antimicrobials in agriculture that address microbiology, microbial biotechnology, ethnopharmacology, toxicology, natural medicinal plant products, secondary metabolites, and all disciplines related to antimicrobial research. Features of the book: Covers antimicrobials in agriculture with up-to-date research Recent references on plausible antimicrobials in agriculture Public health impact of the use of antibiotics in agriculture Antimicrobial efficacy of medicinal plants Role of phytoalexins in agriculture Nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents Presents cutting-edge research on microbiology, nanotechnology, and emergent antimicrobial technologies