Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Antimicrobials

Antimicrobials are agents that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms, encompassing antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics used to prevent and treat infection. They are classified by the organisms they target, by chemical structure and mechanism of action, and by whether they are microbici…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 9 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 35× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2690-4721 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Antimicrobials are agents that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms, encompassing antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics used to prevent and treat infection. They are classified by the organisms they target, by chemical structure and mechanism of action, and by whether they are microbicidal or microbistatic, with antibacterials further grouped by targets such as the cell wall, protein synthesis, nucleic acids, or metabolic pathways. A central concern surrounding their use is antimicrobial resistance, in which microbes evolve mechanisms that render once-effective drugs inactive; carbapenem resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, and multidrug resistance in Salmonella, illustrate how resistant organisms emerge, spread, and persist, sometimes forming biofilms that further reduce susceptibility. Resistance is driven by selective pressure from antimicrobial use across human medicine, veterinary practice, and the community, including self-medication and inappropriate prescribing. Countermeasures include antimicrobial stewardship, restriction policies in high-risk settings such as neonatal units, surveillance of susceptibility patterns, and the search for new compounds, including agents derived from natural products. Understanding the spectrum, mechanism, and appropriate deployment of antimicrobials, together with the genotypic and phenotypic basis of resistance, is essential to preserving their effectiveness and protecting public health.

Research published in this journal

9 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 9 articles above have been cited 35 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Antimicrobials, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Clinical Microbiology (ISSN 2690-4721).

Journal editorial board
Tonmoy Debnath · Taiwan A.C. Matin · United States Sandeep Misra · United States

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.