Antibiotic Resistant BacteriaWhat doesn’t kill them makes them stronger

Before Antibiotics

Alexander Flemming Discovers penicillin in 1928

Miracle Cure

Penicillin-The Magic Bullet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3zDqBuQ94Q

Mechanisms Of Resistance• Antibiotics create selection pressure

Selection Pressure

Mechanisms of resistance• Horizontal gene transfer• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

feature=player_detailpage&v=eRvfhljxA4s

Horizontal Transfer • Bacteria have the ability to acquire genes from

other bacterium without being its offspring.

What Can We Do?• Many of the most widely used antimicrobial drugs

are already ineffective• Pharmaceutical companies cannot create new

drugs fast enough to treat drug resistant bacteria• Reduce inappropriate prescription of antibiotics

• Increase public awareness that many diseases cannot be cured with antibiotics

• Reduce use of agricultural antibiotics• Increase the number of patients who finish their

courses of antibiotics• Restrict the use of new antibiotics• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_det

ailpage&v=UZatOIWlf3Y