Figure 1:

(Left) Targets of current clinical antibiotics: Folic acid biosynthesis inhibitors, DNA gyrase inhibitors, RNA polymerase inhibitors, ribosomal protein synthesis inhibitors, membrane disruptors, and inhibitors of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. (Middle) New targets being explored for their potential to diversify our antibiotic arsenal and help stem the spread of resistance: Efflux pumps, excreted toxins, quorum signaling, micronutrient acquisition, surface adhesion, virulence-associated proteases (e.g. ClpA), adjuvation to restore potency to current drugs. (Right) Generalized schematic of primary metabolic pathways. While common to all organisms, early studies suggest that subtle differences in the utilization of these pathways between organisms may have potential for exploitation as narrow spectrum activity.