Persister Cells Lab Report

Antibiotics are inarguably one of the greatest advances in medical science of the past century. Although the first natural antibiotic Penicillin was not discovered until 1928 by Scottish biologist Alexander Flemming, evidence exists that certain plant and mold growths were used to treat infections in ancient Egypt, ancient India, and classical Greece (Forrest, 1982). In our modern world with the advent of synthetic chemistry synthetic antibiotics like Erithromycin and its derivative Azithromycin have been developed. Antibiotics have many uses including the treatment of bacterial and protozoan infection, in surgical operations and prophylactically to prevent the development of an infection. Through these applications, antibiotics have saved countless lives across the world and radically altered the field of medicine. Though a wonderful and potentially lifesaving tool, antibiotic use is not without its disadvantages. Mankind has perhaps been too lax in regulation and too liberal in application of antibiotics and growing antibiotic resistance is the price we must now pay. A recent study showed that perhaps 70% of bacterial infections acquired during hospital visits in the United States are resistant to at least one class of antibiotic (Leeb, 2004). Bacteria are not helpless and their genetic capabilities have allowed them to take advantage of society’s overuse of antibiotics, allowing them to develop

Cultures are an effective way of guiding the Infectious Disease specialist to which antibiotics that are to be used to treat the patient with MRSA by looking at the type of strain that the patient has. The culture can also be tested for susceptibility to a variety of antibiotics. Surgery may be required to debride and drain the pus filled skin from the infected area, while antibiotics, such as vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, clindomycin (as well as many other sulfa drugs and tetracyclines) could be prescribed to help eradicate the infection. Some antibiotics that are used to treat MRSA are only available intravenously. Unfortunately, some high-powered antibiotics are developing resistance to MRSA infections. Because of this, Vancomycin is no longer a sure treatment for MRSA due to questions surrounding its effectiveness. Patients that are prescribed antibiotics should never stop taking their antibiotics, even if they are starting to feel better. These infections are extremely dormant and are prone to reoccur if they develop resistance to the

On 07/11/2015 at the Lower Buckeye Jail (located at the above listed address) I was assigned as the floor officer for Tower 12. At approximately 1555 hours, Inmate Asad, Sami T188658 (V1) came out to Level 1 core stating that he had been hit in the back of the head multiple times inside his cell in T12 B pod. Inmate Asad was placed into the level 1 holding tank awaiting medical.

With all of our modern advances, it seems somewhat strange that chronic health problems have become so commonplace. When antibiotics were discovered, they predicted the end of disease. Instead, we now have a world full of frightening antibiotic resistant infections.

Perioperative prophylactic antibiotics for total joint replacements have been proven to reduce rates of surgical site infections.2-3 It is recommended that prophylactic antibiotics are administered within one hour prior to surgical incision and are discontinued within 24 hours following the end of surgery.4 First generation cephalosporins, such as cefazolin, are the agents most commonly utilized for antimicrobial prophylaxis in joint replacement procedures.2,5 Vancomycin may be used in addition to a first generation cephalosporin in institutions considered to have a high rate of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) surgical site infections. 2 If there is local data to suggest gram-negative pathogens as a cause of PJI then it is recommended to consider the addition

Antibiotics have played an essential role in the fight against diseases and infections since the 1940’s. Antibiotics are a leading cause for the rise of global average life expectancy in the 20th and 21st century. They have greatly reduced illnesses and deaths due to diseases. With the introductions of antibiotics in the 1940’s, like penicillin into clinical practice, formally deadly illnesses became immediately curable and saved thousands of lives (Yim 2006). Antibiotic use has been beneficial and when prescribed and taken correctly their effects on patients are exceedingly valuable. However, because these drugs have been used so widely and for such a long period of time the bacteria that the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted,

Antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the greatest public health concerns of the 21st century. Nearly every type of bacteria has become stronger and less responsive to antibiotic treatment. This can eventually make it impossible to treat certain infections, leading to serious disability or death. The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections can be attributed to overuse and over prescription. The uses of antibiotics in livestock are increasing resistance for animals and humans.

The most common pathogenic strains that cause wound infection is Staphylococcus aureus (35%), Escherichia coli (15%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13%) and other bacteria (37%) (Amit Kumar Gupta et al., 2015). In another study, Staphylococcus aureus has been reported as the major cause of wound infection with (24.2%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (21.4 %), Escherichia coli (14.8 %) and another different organism (39.6 %) (Jyoti Sangwan et al., 2016). Staphylococcus aureus (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is gram positive bacteria and can be a lethally opportunistic pathogen or human commensal, it is one of the leading organisms causing a variety of hospital-acquired infection and community acquired infection (Brown et al., 2014). S. aureus has

Similar to the majority of living organisms, bacteria are able to adapt and change depending on their environment. Contrary to other larger living organisms such as humans, bacteria are able to transform and multiply at a more rapid pace, allowing these microorganisms to evolve and become resistant to medications that are commonly used to treat them such as antibiotics. These altered bacteria are oftentimes referred to as “super bugs” as they are unaffected by typical treatments involving the use of antibiotics (NIH, n.d.). Two highly infectious examples of these bacteria are Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE). In the physical therapy setting, physical therapist and physical therapist assistants

Widespread use of antibiotics has been very controversial in the media as well in the general population. Due to these controversies, it is very misunderstood to how antibiotics work leading to many patients in the hospital setting wanting to take them when it is not necessary or refusing to take when it is necessary for their survival. Some of this controversy is due to antibiotic resistance, which has spread an alarming rate in the 21st century (Walsh, 2000). Antibiotic resistance is the result of very strong bacteria or microbes that are resistant to the antibiotic prescribed and those microbes accumulate overtime by their survival, reproduction and transfer, leading to increased levels of antibiotic resistance.

The second installment of the video series “Rx for Survival,” concerned itself with implications pertaining to bacteria that have become antibiotic-resistant and was titled “Rise of the Superbugs.” The video presented the cases of individuals who were afflicted with maladies resulting from bacterial infections that were not being impeded by the normative pharmaceutical care that we have used for many decades and take for granted.

In the last fifty years, the most prominent and transformative medical advancement made was the discovery of antibiotics and disinfectants. On the contrary, with the uncovering of antibiotics came the repercussion of the progressively threatening antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria or ‘superbugs’ formed due to the lack of care from the people to follow through with simple safety procedures in order to entirely get rid of bacterial illnesses and infections. Appropriate precautions are necessary and expectedly need to be taken, in order to minimize and possibly prohibit the formation, continual growth and limit the strength of resistance in the antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and most importantly to preserve medical advancements

The overconsumption of antibiotics is a big contribution to drug resistance and is why users should know what happens with the repeated use of these drugs. Even though some bacterial mutation occurs naturally, human use of antibacterial is the cause of higher-levels of resistance (Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics 2014). Bacteria mutate either by genetic mutation or by receiving the defensive agent. During an infection bacteria multiply naturally within the body and when exposed to antibiotics, bacteria have an opportunity to adapt to the drug (Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics 2014). During this period of

The antibiotics are used to eliminate the bacteria. If this is unsuccessful and there is still lingering bacteria, the dead bone tissue of the infected area should be removed through surgery. Rods or metal plates may have to be removed, which cause open spaces that will need to be filled with bone graft or packing material. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000437.htm)

Antibiotic combination therapy including rifampin seems promising in prosthetic joint infection, yet it has scarcely been studied in infection after internal fixation.8 Also there are only few data available on the treatment of Gram-negative bacilli infection after internal fixation as well as after prosthetic joint replacement. In contrast to prosthetic joint infection, there are no uniform algorithms for the treatment of infection after internal fixation.9 This can results in inconsistent treatment. For example, at Erasmus MC infection after internal fixation is treated differently than UMC Utrecht. At Erasmus MC as well as at UMC Utrecht therapy starts with a surgical debridement. At UMC Utrecht debridement is immediately followed by vancomycin and rifampin intravenous therapy. After bacterial identification the antibiotic is adjusted if necessary. At Erasmus MC debridement is followed with bacterial identification. After bacterial identification antibiotic therapy starts, the choice of antibiotic depends on bacterial identification. Rifampin holds the ability to penetrate into the biofilm relatively