Transcript bacteria and antibiotics

The Evolution
of Bacteria and
Disease
By: Kaitlin Taylor
Introduction
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Bacteria has been around forever
When penicillin was discovered, it
was a medical miracle
Penicillin vanquished WW2’s
biggest killer-bacterial infected
wounds
4 yrs. later, suddenly microbes
could resist penicillin..
Why was this happening?
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Well evolution of course!!
Bacteria has variations, we know
evolution likes variation..
Bacterial variants have evolved to
resist antibiotics
More bacteria have evolved, and
now there are things like “super
bugs”
How do antibiotics work?
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Penicillin kills bacteria by
attaching to the cell wall
Part of the cell wall is destroyed,
and the cell will die
Penicillin can also affect the
ribosome's of a bacterial cell
How does Antibiotic
Resistance Work?
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Let’s look at some biology…
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Antibiotic Resistance happens in 3
ways:
Antibiotic Resistance
Cont’d…
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1) In spontaneous DNA mutation,
bacterial DNA may mutate
sporadically
Antibiotic Resistance
Cont’d…
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2) Transformation process where
one bacterium takes the DNA of
another
Antibiotic Resistance
Cont’d…
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Plasmid DNA flicking from one
bacterium to another… This one is
the scariest form.
Other reasons bacteria
become resistant..
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Societal factors too..
Inappropriate drug use
Transmission of disease
Sometimes we don’t need
antibiotics!
How can we solve this
problem?
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Limit the use of antibiotics
Fight evolution with.. Evolution!
Example: Cholera
Theoretical Example: AIDS
It’s hard to say for certain….
Conclusion
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This evolutionary science is still
in its early stages
We need to be more careful with
antibiotics!!!!
Using public health measures can
help too
Thank you.
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