Infectious Diseases Drug Delivery Systems

The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is a generic measure of health effect that can be used in cost-effectiveness analysis as an alternative to the quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Infectious diseases are one of the major to cause significant losses of DALY and QALY. Human infectious diseases are disorders that are triggered by the micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites. The majority of such diseases are contagious and create a public health menace. There are several reasons why infectious diseases are deadly diseases, and one of the primary reasons is the drug resistance developed over time. Drug resistance-associated mutations are linked to increasing drug efflux, modifications of the drugs, or their targets. Every year, new drugs are being approved by FDA to treat infectious diseases. Nonetheless, the infectious diseases will undoubtedly persist as permanent and main threats to humanity for now and in the future. Infectious diseases are the world's greatest killers that present one of the most significant health and security challenges. Humans have lived with emerging and re-emerging pathogens since before the documented history of civilization. The only determining fact today is - If the situation is "worse" or "better" than in past. The answer is probably "worse", may be due significant increase in human population, increased cross-continent mobility, imbalanced (stressed) life style, irregular food habits leading to compromised innate immunity and over or under practiced hygiene routine. When the incidence of such a disease in people increases over 20 years or threatens to increase, it is called an "emerging" disease, and a growing number have made watch lists andheadlines in nearly every country -like highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Ebola virus, food- and waterborne illnesses, and a range of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial diseases TB. This book addresses current and new therapy developments in treating such infectious diseases, updates on finding new drugs, identification of innovative diagnostic methods, understanding of disease research models and clinical trials performances of new treatment modalities.