NATURAL
SELECTION OF
RESISTANT
BACTERIA DUE
TO
ANTIBIOTIC ABUSE
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
The emerging strain of resistant bacteria
INTRODUCTION
Artificial selection is defined as the process of choosing organisms with the most desirable variations for mating. People have performed this process successfully in an effort to improve their crops and domestic animals. The result of this process is increase yields, higher quality and an expansion of growing and breeding areas. Artificial selection has provided humanity with tremendous socio-economic and medical benefits. This process of selecting out naturally occurring mutations to improve plant and animal breeders stock dates back to the time that man evolved from a food hunter and gatherer to man as the farmer.
However, the use of chemicals such as antibiotics and
pesticides has resulted in the accelerated selection of variations in organisms
making them resistant to these chemicals.
Once the use of antibiotic common resistant strains of bacteria began to appear. In the early 1950’s Esther and Joshua Lederberg conducted a series of experiments and concluded that in a large population of bacteria, there are always a few individuals with resistant to the antibiotics. The wide spread use of antibiotics resulted in the natural selection of this variation. Today we are witnessing the emergence of populations of bacteria that have become resistant to the traditional antibiotic treatments. Diseases that were once cured easily are now becoming a threat to society, tuberculosis, and other common streptococcus infections are raising their ugly heads again. More powerful antibiotics are being employed in the battle to cure these diseases. However, our research capabilities are being strained, and we are unable to keep up with the increase demands for new antibiotics.
The rapid development of resistant strains of bacteria refer to as super bugs can be attributed to the following:
a) The ease at which antibiotics can be obtained
b) The misuse of antibiotics and
c) The practice of self-medication.
The intention of this web quest is to investigate the public policies that govern antibiotic use and to recommend changes to these policies that would enable us to restrict the development of these super bugs.
TASK:
Students will
work in groups and complete the following tasks:
a) Review a variety
of articles and prepare a report on antibiotics misuse and abuse, with emphasis
on the development of super bugs. investigate the public policies that govern antibiotic
use http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html
b) Prepare and
conduct a survey that will provide statistical information on antibiotics
misuses and abuses.
c) Prepare a report
for the New York State Legislature, recommending that new laws and regulations
be put in place to reduce or eliminate the antibiotics misuse and abuse; use http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/solutions.html
LEARNNG ADVICE 1
Questions to
consider while preparing the report on antibiotics misuse and abuse:
1. Why are
antibiotics an important weapon in our arsenal to combat infectious diseases in
humans and other animals?
2. What factors
lead to the abuse and misuse of antibiotics?
3. How antibiotics
misuse and abuse results in the natural selection of the super bugs?
LEARNING ADVICE
2
The following
points should be considered when developing the survey document:
1. The ease with
which antibiotics can be obtained with or without a doctor prescription.
2. The frequency
with which antibiotics are used, especially as a preventative measure, with or
without a doctor approval.
3. How often the
prescribe dosage and recommendations of the doctor is disregarded?
LEARNING ADVICE
3
The following
points must be foremost in the groups mind when preparing the paper justifying
changes to existing laws and regulations.
1. The existing
laws and regulations must be reviewed, and their strengths and weakness must be
emphasized.
2. Recommended
changes must be justified using information obtained from the survey, and
information obtained from other sources such as the C.D.C. and other
educational and research institutions.
3. Recommendations
must also take into account the social and economic impact that these changes
will have on the population
INTERNET
RESOURCES
The following
web sites contain information on antibiotics resistance.
1. http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/
2. http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9812/htm/superbugs.htm
3. http://whyfiles.org/038badbugs/
The following
websites can be contacted for information on antibiotics laws and regulations,
and to seek expert advice on these subjects.
1. http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/howto.html
2. http://www.fda.gov/cder/regulatory/default.htm
The following
web sites will assist you getting help using computer technology.
1. http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/resres.html
2. http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/tutorals.html
The following
web site can be used to conduct your survey on antibiotics use and abuse.
1. http://www.opinionpower.com/
PROCESS
Group process:
1. Students will be
placed in groups of 4 individuals.
2. Groups will be
responsible for the following:
a) Delegate
responsibilities to its members.
b) To research the
provided web sites and prepare a paper on antibiotics abuse and misuse with
specific reference to the mechanism of artificial selection, leading to the
development of super bugs.
c) To prepare and
conduct a survey of antibiotic misuse and abuse, and to collect and analyze the
statistics from the survey.
d) To prepare a
position paper, utilizing the statistics from the survey and information from
other research to convince the New York State Legislators to enact laws and
regulations that could eliminate or substantially reduce the development of
super bugs.
e) Teams are
expected to include work from two web sites other than those provided.
f) All team members
must take an active role in this Quest and all will receive a team grade as
well as an individual grade.