It is hard to grapple with the possibility that the smallest of entities may pose the biggest of problems for our society. However, new developments in the field of antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance, both in basic research and in institutional settings, raise red flags about a seemingly ‘clean’ society. It also poses the question: can anything be done to combat microbial resistance on a global scale?

Knowing the resistance

Antibiotics fight against infectious bacteria by either inhibiting bacterial growth or killing it. A common example of an antibiotic is penicillin, which often treats ear infections.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria become resistant to these antibiotic drugs. This presents a serious risk as antibiotics for previously treatable infections, such as pneumonia or strep throat, become rendered useless.

New research from Harvard University published in Science used visual observation of the unrelenting dominance of antibiotic resistance in an innovative laboratory setup. An easily accessible video distributed by Science News demonstrates the new technique and shows how Escherichia coli or E. coli bacteria divide inward against increasing concentrations of the trimethoprim and ciprofloxacin antibiotics.

By about 11 days, the bacteria is able to infiltrate 1,000 times as much antibiotic.