Most people alive today in developed nations don't remember a world without antibiotics.
People in the developed world seldom have to worry that small cuts will develop life-threatening
infections, or that bacterial diseases will kill them before their time. We take for granted the
antibiotics that protect our health and lives. A great deal of both chemistry and biology was
involved in creating these drugs, and this module explores both in readings and activities.
But the science of antibiotics isn't just something that happened long ago. As some bacteria
develop resistance to many common antibiotics, we are faced with the threat of a return to the
days of sickness and early death from untreatable bacterial infections. This is a challenge not
only for the scientists who must develop new antibiotics to deal with resistant bacteria, but
for scientists who investigate how overuse of some antibiotics caused certain bacteria to become
resistant in the first place, and for scientist who investigate how to prevent bacteria from
become resistant to newer antibiotics.
This module is divided into three sections. “Stories and More” includes readings on the
science of antibiotics, while laboratory activities re found in two separate sections,
“Chemistry Activities” and “Biology Activities.” It is hoped that the readings and activities
will not only give you an appreciation for the science involved in treating bacterial infection
and disease, but also help you to make wise choices concerning your own health care by conveying
an understanding of when you should and shouldn't ask your doctor for antibiotics. Preventing
bacterial resistance is the job of the patient as well as the doctor!
That said, we hope you find this module, fun, informative, and that it broadens your
understanding of the science of human health.
