Beta-lactam antibiotics

Beta-lactam antibiotics are one of the most widely used group of drugs, which around the world sum almost 50% of all prescriptions of antibiotics. Despite the antibiotic resistances, beta-lactams are relevant clinical and economical compounds, which recruit more than 90 years of historical development aimed to increase the production and to reach new generations of natural and semisynthetic drugs. This chapter analyzes and updates the current state of the art of beta-lactams from their discovery, production, and scale-up to the omics (Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Proteomics) application to gain knowledge on biosynthetic pathways and to unveil the result of the successful brute-force mutagenesis and screening industrial programs.