Biotech Live 12.

1
Bianca Varela
 What is an Antibiotic?
● Antibiotics are drugs used to
treat infections caused by
bacteria.
– Bacteria are tiny
organisms that can
sometimes cause
illness to humans
and animals.
● They are produced by or
derived from certain fungi,
bacteria, and other
organisms, that can destroy
or inhibit the growth of other
microorganisms.
Antibiotic Resistance
● Antibiotic resistance is a type of
drug resistance where a
microorganism is able to survive
exposure to an antibiotic.
– Genes can be transferred
between bacteria in a
horizontal fashion by
conjugation,
transduction, or
transformation.
– Thus a gene for antibiotic
resistance which had
evolved via natural
selection may be
shared.
● The primary cause of antibiotic
resistance is genetic mutation in
bacteria.
 The Harm of Antibiotic Resistance
● The prevalence of antibiotic resistant
bacteria is a result of antibiotic use
both within medicine and veterinary
medicine.
– The greater the duration of
exposure the greater the
risk of the development of
resistance irrespective of
the severity of the need
for antibiotics.
● An example of antibiotic resistance is
seen in Staph aureus, which is
resistant to penicillin, methicillin,
tetracycline and erythromycin – leaving
vancomycin as the only cure.
– However, the infection
became immune to this as
well, leaving no cure.
How To Combat This
● To combat the occurrence of
antibiotic resistance, the
reduction of the active use of
antibiotics is suggested.
– Increased use of
vaccines would be
useful as well, in
the way that
vaccines simply
heighten the body's
natural defenses,
instead of operating
separately from the
body.