The discovery of penicillin is arguably one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century.?

Question

The discovery of penicillin is arguably one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century. In the years following this discovery, it was assumed that we had conquered bacterial infections and science moved onto other problems, like combating viral infections. However in recent years there has been a rise in infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. How do bacteria develop antibiotic resistance? How can inappropriate use of antibiotics and other antibacterial products contribute to this problem? What should we do to combat it?

Answer 1

Some bacteria (Gram negative) have membranes outside their cell walls. Since Penicillin works by attacking cell walls, it does not work on these bacteria. Also, over-use of antibiotics created some bacteria that contain Plasmids, which are a small extra Rrna molecule inside the cell. This makes the bacteria antibiotic resistant. It's just survival of the fittest. Bacteria mutated to find ways to survive, just like other species.

Answer 2

This is sort of hard to explain but basically your body and immune system get used to the medicine and over time if you take it a lot your body doesn't recognize it and it's become like a regular house guest that your immune system passes over. when you need an anti-biotic the best thing to do is make sure that your doctor switches it up once in a while so that your body doesn't become used to one drug-because it will just stop working. You can think of it like the drug is a person who is visiting your house for the first time. They knock on the door and wait for you to answer. You are attentive to them, show them around, feed them and talk with them. Yuo are engaged with that person while they are visiting. Now think of this, if that person becomes a great friend and comes over all the time. You see them so frequently that they just let themselves in and you feel comfortable enough with them in your house that you don't feel like you have to be on top of them every second. You can take a shower, clean the house and they can sit and watch tv. This is what your body does-when it sees something too much it starts to become normal to your immune system and it isn't seen as a threat or something that needs attention. I hope my analogy makes sense....

As far as the antibacterial products. It's not great to use all the time because you are taking away not only the bad bacteria but the good too. Your body has billions of bacteria everywhere and some you need. The good bacteria fights off the baddies and when you use the antibacterial washes you are getting rid of the good which means you have a higher chance of getting a bad bacteria before you get a good one and since you have no good ones b/c you washed them all off the bad will start their attack. The best thing to do is wash your hands frequently with soap and water. If you are in public places a lot, I am always on the subway, then using the antibacterial stuff is ok right afterwards, but don't use it too much.

Answer 3

At the time, it was. Penicillin was the panacea and it was the cure all. Not anymore.



Now the bacteriae have mutated. How they do it is still subject of intense study and debate. Each bacteria is different and how they protect themselves is also an interesting study which gives us clue as to how to fight infection and the antibodies in humans. Again because of this uniqueness, it also becomes an interesting subject of study albeit it is very difficult. It is like finding needle in a haystack.



Such studies also lead us - and extrapolated in a round about way - to the discovery of the mechanism behind tissue rejection. A clear understanding gives us an idea of how to go about a successful organ transplant.



The corollary to the main discovery can take us to as yet unexplored area of medicine and science. Intriguing uh...? This is why I love science.



So as you can see, Nature giveth and taketh all in one fell swoop.

Answer 4

Jump at? Have you actually seen who is posting questions about this? I'll give you a hint.....it's not the atheists! Re-read the questions asked about this again.... No one (atheist or not) has said that this has disproved or proved God! It was called the "God" particle as a joke! Do you know what a joke is? Wow! Leon Lederman said he gave the Higgs boson the nickname "The God Particle" because the particle is "so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive," but jokingly added that a second reason was because "the publisher wouldn't let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing."