Bacteria Post #2: Lab

Bacteria Lab

To begin, read this article about an example of a superbug and the effects it has. 

Bacteria Post #1: Making a Superbug

Making a Superbug

We have been learning about viruses, bacteria and antibiotics. The first thing to know is antibiotics only work on bacteria and NOT viruses.

We watched 2 different documentaries by Frontline on PBS. They were really interesting and an eye opener to many problems that may not be apparent right now, but will definitely come up in the future if nothing happens.

Before I continue, if you want to watch these documentaries:
Click here to view part 1.
Click here to view part 2.

Also:
Here is another link to PBS that shows a clip from the documentary about the outbreak at NIH. It explains how it spread in more detail and also had a diagram that follows the spread from patient to patient on the side.

Now that you've watched these, I'll explain some more things.

Superbugs are bad. And getting worse.

These are bacteria that have become antibiotic resistant because they have adapted to survive when antibiotics are used.

Although it is unknown whether the use of antibiotics in animals is causing an increase in superbugs in humans, there has definitely been an increase in the past few years.