Lorenzo Munoz

Joseph
1302
Post Antibiotic Era
Nevada woman dies of superbug resistant to all available US antibiotics headlines
multiple articles. In 2016, a 70-year-old Nevada woman was infected by bacteria that was
resistant to 26 different antibiotics in the United States. The world is constantly evolving, even at
a microscopic level. Over the past years, the number of people infected by antibiotic resistant
bacteria has increased. The amount of cases has caused the Centers of Disease Control and
Prevention to state the human race is now in the post-antibiotic era as of 2013. The increased rate
of antibiotic resistant bacteria is caused by the overuse of antibiotics in livestock and
unnecessary prescriptions giving to patients.
Dr. Alexander Fleming is known as the initial founder of the first antibiotic, penicillin. He
was born August 6, 1881 in Lochfield, Scotland. Fleming had planned to become a surgeon, but
a temporary position in the Inoculation Department at St. Mary's Hospital changed his path
toward the then-new field of bacteriology. There, he developed his research skills under the
guidance of bacteriologist and immunologist Sir Almroth Edward Wright, whose revolutionary
ideas of vaccine therapy represented an entirely new direction in medical treatment
(biography.com). During World War I, Fleming studied the wounds of soldiers treated with an
antiseptic. The antiseptic was detrimental because it didnt kill the harmful bacteria infecting the
soldiers. The doctor continued his study of bacteria and one day he noticed that a culture of
Staphylococcus aureus he had left out had become contaminated with a mold (later identified as
Penicillium notatum). He also discovered that the colonies of staphylococci surrounding this
mold had been destroyed(biography.com). Fleming is known for discovering penicillin, paving
the way for future antibiotics, but couldnt produce it for clinical use. There are different types of
antibiotics like Penicillins, Tetracyclines, Cephalosporins, Quinolones, Lincomycins, Macrolides,
Sulfonamides, Glycopeptides, Aminoglycosides, and Carbapenems. Each type varies in how they
kill bacteria. Beta-lactam antibiotics like penicillins and carbapenems kill bacteria that are
surrounded by a cell wall. Bacteria build cell walls by linking molecules togetherbeta-lactams
block this process. Without support from a cell wall, pressure inside the cell becomes too much
and the membrane bursts (Anderson).
Bacteria have existed for millions of years. Humans first discovered bacteria in 1674.
Bacteria arent like eukaryotic cells. They have cell wall and no nucleus. There are two types of
bacteria. The good and the bad: bad bacteria cause infection and illness like strep throat and good
bacteria help you like the ones inside your intestines.