Download or read book Treating Infectious Diseases in a Microbial World written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-02-03 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humans coexist with millions of harmless microorganisms, but emerging diseases, resistance to antibiotics, and the threat of bioterrorism are forcing scientists to look for new ways to confront the microbes that do pose a danger. This report identifies innovative approaches to the development of antimicrobial drugs and vaccines based on a greater understanding of how the human immune system interacts with both good and bad microbes. The report concludes that the development of a single superdrug to fight all infectious agents is unrealistic.