“Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria” Lab Exercise, individual, 20 points Please read about the Evolution and Diversity among the Microbes in What is Life? A Guide to Biology before beginning this lab. The purpose of this lab exercise is to gain a better understanding of the biology of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the role of antibiotics to control and treat these bacteria. For this lab exercise, watch the Frontline video “Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria” (approx. 55 minutes). After watching the video, answer the following questions. Use the video and also your own opinion/experience to answer the questions. 1. Addie is a young girl who is made sick by an antibiotic resistant bacterium. From where do doctors believe she contracted the bacterium? What was her major treatment? At the end of the video, is Addie cured? What is her future? 2. Another person who almost died from an infection with an antibiotic resistant bacterium is David. Where and how did David contract the bacterium? What was his major treatment? Is David cured? What is his future? 3. From a business/economic standpoint, how are antibiotic drugs different from drugs to treat high cholesterol or high blood pressure? Explain. 4. The journalist interviews people from the NIH hospital in Bethesda, Maryland about the outbreak of KPC. What is KPC? Do the experts think KPC is gone/eliminated from the hospital? Why or why not? 5. What is the effect of the overuse of antibiotics in the human population? Explain Does this have an effect on you and me? Do antibiotics directly treat a viral infection? What is the difference between a bacterial infection and a viral infection? Is COVID 19 caused by a bacterium or virus? Would an antibiotic help to treat COVID 19? 6. From the video, why are drug companies pulling out of the research and development of new antibiotics? Explain. How much money (average) does it cost a company to research and develop one antibiotic drug and bring it to market? How does the number of companies today researching and developing antibiotic drugs compare with 50 years ago? Why? 7. Should the US government (or any government) get into the research and development of new antibiotics? Why or why not? What is your opinion? 8. Some doctors in the film state that antibiotic resistant bacteria are a public health problem and ask “who is in charge?” Who should be “in charge”? Does the US (or other governments) have a plan to deal with this health problem? Does the World Health Organization have a plan? What is your opinion? 9. What can you and I do to help with this problem? Is there anything we can do? Explain. How to submit this lab exercise: Submit this lab exercise as a Microsoft Word document or PDF. This lab exercise is worth 20 points. Check the syllabus for the closing date.
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