Abstract
Recently, respiratory tract infection (RTI) such as pneumonia or lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a serious problem. There is a risk of a rapid increase in RTI and with it the serious problem of drug resistant pathogens. Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP) and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are the representative organisms in community clinics as well as in hospitals. The development of DDS with the aim of reducing the frequency of dosing and improving compliance is also suggestive of a new trend for DDS in the field of treating infectious diseases.
Meanwhile, research into gene therapy is also being pursued as a new, non-drug-based strategy. Therapeutic methods to stimulate the host's immune system by introducing genes for inflammatory cytokines such as IL-12 and IFN-γ—to act as immunomodulators for the human body—are being researched. Among gene therapies targeting causative microorganisms, new treatment approaches using antisense nucleotides or short-interfering RNA (siRNA) for the influenza virus, SARS virus, tubercle bacillus, and MRSA are being tested. Short-interfering RNA may be a new strategy against infectious diseases in the near future.
