AIU Abuse of Antibiotics Antibiotic-Resistant Strains of Bacteria

Assignment Details

Antibiotic Resistance

For many years, antibiotics have been effectively used to treat bacterial disease.

A growing concern for treating bacterial diseases is the evolution of antibiotic resistance by bacterial populations. Resistance means that a particular antibiotic is no longer effective in treating a disease. This resistance can be viewed as evolution of a new trait at the population level, which is resistance to an antibiotic.

Recommended: Click on the following links to review materials to increase your understanding of natural selection and antibiotic resistance:

• Understanding Evolution
• Antibiotic Resistance

Focus your discussion on ONE of the following topics:

1. The use, overuse, and abuse of antibiotics are accredited with creating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Explain how this relates to natural selection.
2. Visit this tool: ResistanceOpen. Type in your location to find and report on how common antibiotic-resistant bacteria are in your area. Compare the incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in your area with that in Lincoln, NE and Miami, FL. Do the results concern you? Give 1 suggestion for why there are such widely different results.
3. Using a credible source, describe at least 2 of the things that people do (you can include individuals, doctors, health care professionals, hospitals, farmers, and so on) that contribute to this problem. Explain.
4. Are there things that you can personally do to reduce your risk or even to reduce the spread of these dangerous microbes?

Use at least 1 credible source to support the arguments presented in your post.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, September 10). Antibiotic / antimicrobial resistance (AR / AMR). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/

HealthMap. (2017). ResistanceOpen. Retrieved from https://resistanceopen.org/results/

Understanding Genetics. University of California Museum of Paleontology. (2008). Natural selection. Retrieved from https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/…

In your own words, post a response to the Discussion Board, and comment on at least 2 other postings. You will be graded on both level of engagement and the quality of the contribution to the discussion.

Discussion Board Reminders:

• Must have three posts: A Main Post and two replies to peers.
  • First post: Either your main post or a reply to others must be posted before midnight CT (Central time) on Friday of each week.
  • Second and third post: Must be posted on a different day from the first post.
• Connect to Content: At least 1 post must refer to course learning materials. See the Academic Resource on Discussion Boards for help with connecting to the content.
• Engaging in Class Discussions: For more information on making the most of your class dialog, review the Academic Resource on Discussion Boards.

Grading Rubric