Danyal Chaudry

Antibiotic Resistance in the Early 21st Century

Research Question:

How severe is the issue of antibiotic resistance in the 21st century, and what role will it play for

us going forward?

Hypothesis:

Antibiotic resistance will play a major role in the world during the 21st century, and will greatly

change the way we inhabit this planet in the years to come.

Background/History of the issue:

Penicillin was first discovered in 1928. Ever since then, we have used antibiotics as a

way to easily cure bacterial infections, and we began taking it as more and more of a commodity

rather than a scientific miracle. Previous to the discovery of penicillin, any cut or wound had the

possibility of being fatal, but antibiotics changed all of that. But over the past 80 years, our

irresponsible use of antibiotics has created resistance in bacteria to these wonder drugs, and is

threatening to throw us back into the health dark ages. The CDC estimates that 2 million people

in the United States contract these sorts of diseases and 23,000 die per year. With the increasing

resistance in bacteria, and the fact that the health industry has not developed a new antibiotic in

25 years, the future is looking gloomy for us.

Rationale:
 Antibiotic resistance and how we deal with this issue will change the world and how we

live in it. We are about to lose the power of one of the greatest miracles science has ever given

us, antibiotics. Anyone and everyone will be greatly impacted by the outcome of what is to

happen. Antibiotics have been saving millions of lives, and without them, even a simple cut or

minor wound could become fatal. Let alone childbirth and the like. The issue is so important that

the CDC and the WHO declared it their most severe health threats. If this problem is not

solved, it has the potential to kill millions of people. The CDC estimates that 2 million people in

the US contract diseases from these microbes annually, and by 2050, it wil kill more people than

cancer. Research into this topic is very important, and will decide the future of the world and

how we live in it as we know it.

Basis:

This research was based on the findings of major health organizations like the CDC and

the WHO. I also found evidence from many experiments done by universities like Harvard

Medical School and the like. I am interested in finding scholarly articles and finding more

information on the mcr-1 gene and plasmids. There is so much credible literature on this topic

from some of the highest organizations and institutions, I am fortunate that my topic is such a hot

topic and is so easy to research.

Operational Definitions:

Antibiotic- A type of drug used in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections.

Bacteria- A small microbe that constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms.

Antibiotic Resistance- The resistance of antibiotics to bacteria.

 Plasmid- A small DNA loop that can easily pass genetic information from bacteria to

bacteria.

Mcr-1 gene- A gene in bacteria that causes the resistance to antibiotics.

Descriptors:

Antibiotics

Antibiotics and farm animals

Bacterial Resistance

Superbugs

Plasmids

Mcr-1 gene