Lecture 32: Antibiotic Resistance- Part 1

After today's lecture, you should be able to answer the following types of questions (Note that today I gave an "all-chalkboard" lecture).

1. Describe the role of antibiotics in their natural environments. Why are they there? How do the bacteria that make them survive their toxicity?

2. From what natural source were the first antibiotics harvested? What antibiotic is produced by members of the bacterial species known as Streptomyces? At which university was streptomycin discovered?

3. What are three ways of getting drug resistance in bacteria?

4. How do antimicrobial resistance genes move from one bacteria into another?

5. What is the significance of gene mutation with respect to antimicrobial drug resistance?

6. What is the significance of drug efflux pumps on the surface of bacteria? Why is Pharma interested in developing new drugs to block these types of pumps?

7. What were the names of the genes discussed in class which confer resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to some of the anti-TB drugs? Are these genes mutated in all strains of TB? For example, which gene is mutated in drug-sensitive TB strains? Which gene is mutated in isoniazid-resistant strains of TB? in rifampin-resistant strains of TB? etc...

8. What is the mechanism of antibacterial action for each of these compounds: isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, streptomycin, fluoroquinolones, and linezolid?

Make sure to also do the assigned readings and the reading questions for today.