PSA: Drugs, Antibiotics, & Pesticides Resistance

By Haley Cole, Katelyn Le-Thompson, & Amanda Lucas

Antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is a form of drug resistance where bacteria are able to survive after exposure to one or more

antibiotics and is caused by overuse of antibiotics.

http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/antibiotic-resistance-faqs.html#e

The main problem is that doctors are willing to prescribe antibiotics to ill-informed patients who believe that

antibiotics can cure nearly all illnesses. These prescriptions accomplish nothing other than increase the risk for further evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria, thus introducing

antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the environment.

Antibiotics

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/amr-report/en/

Rational use of antibiotics may reduce the chances of development of opportunistic infection by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/10/4/l_104_03.html

Drugs

● Drug resistance The ability of bacteria and other microorganisms to withstand a drug that once stalled them or killed them

● Why it is harmful? Overuse and misuse of antibiotics worldwide is leading to the global healthcare issue of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistant infections may occur, and in the worse-case scenario, there may be no antibiotics that are effective for the infection. This situation can be life-threatening in a serious infection.

http://www.drugs.com/article/antibiotic-resistance.html

● Solutions: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have launched initiatives to help address antibiotic resistance. The FDA has issued drug labeling regulations and recommends judicious prescribing of antibiotics by health care providers

Drugs

Pesticides

● Pesticide Resistance: Pests, like rodents or insects, are evolving to have a higher tolerance to pesticides.

● We have caused pests to develop genetic shields against pesticides by unintentionally applying Artificial Selection.

● Artificial Selection: The process by which humans breed animals and cultivate crops to ensure that future generations have specific desirable characteristics.

● Without working pesticides, pests like rodents and insects will be uncontrollable and possibly damage crops, homes, and other man made buildings.

Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/10/1/l_101_02.html

Farmers spray higher doses of pesticide if the traditional dose doesn't kill, so genetic mechanisms that enable the pests to survive the stronger doses rapidly become widespread as the offspring of resistant individuals come to dominate the population.

Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/10/1/l_101_02.html

Current Solutions Possible Solutions

"Integrated pest management: Scientists encourage the spread of natural enemies of pests, or they lure the pests with a meal that's even more tasty than the vulnerable crop.

The End