Three classes of antibiotic resistant bacterial patho-
gens are emerging as major threats to public health:
(i) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),
(ii) multidrug resistant Gram negative bacteria, includ-
ing Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and
(iii) multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Numerous compounds which could potentially combat
these classes of pathogen have been isolated from the
marine environment. These include structurally novel
compounds such as marinopyrrole A and abyssomicin
C with activity against MRSA, the alkaloid cyclostel-
lettamine F with activity against P. aeruginosa, and
trichoderins, novel aminolipopeptides with anti-myco-
bacterial activity. Compared with infections caused by
drug resistant bacteria, infections caused by resistant
fungal pathogens occur relatively infrequently. However,
Candida species are a common cause of hospital-
acquired bloodstream infection and kill 40% of those
patients, whereas disseminated Aspergillus infections
can kill up to 80% of affected patients. Compounds of
marine origin with activity against these fungal patho-
gens include the cyclic depsipeptide kahalalide F and
the alkaloid araguspongin C.