Computational tools to identify potential drug targets in bacteria

Abstract

Bacterial adaptability to antibacterial agents, influenced by prolonged monotherapy and inappropriate practices, leads to the development of drug-resistant strains against conventional therapeutic methods. The rise of resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics presents a significant public health challenge, urging the exploration of innovative drugs. Bioinformatic analyses play a vital role in selecting molecular targets, considering factors like druggability, essentiality, metabolic importance, conservation in clinical strains, and specificity analysis. Web servers such as target-pathogen integrate these criteria, supplying valuable tools to prioritize drug targets. The applications in Bartonella bacilliformis and Klebsiella pneumoniae showcase the successful utilization of this type of pipeline.