Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. This is a growing public health issue. Identify a product or antibiotic that has been reported to lead to antibiotic resistance. Explain how the bacteria were able to gain resistance to the product or antibiotic. Discuss a common contributing factor to resistance.
For example, Bacteria gain resistance to penicillin by producing the enzyme penicillinase, which inactivates penicillin.
Since antibiotics were discovered, we’ve seen many issues cause resistance. Some examples are misuse or overuse of ABX, ABX without prescriptions, ABX used that are intended for animals, failed quality control, ABX in livestock and the supply chain, antibacterial consumer products, and the list goes on and on.
It is recommended to begin your research on antibiotic resistance with Chapter 20 in the textbook and on the CDC’s Antibiotic / Antimicrobial Resistance Website.
