Resistant Microbes, Antibiotic Abuse, and the Threat to Public Health

Resistant Microbes, Antibiotic Abuse, and the Threat to Public Health
Fathom

Seminar Introduction

Clinical Microbiology Labs, University of Michigan Health System, Regents of the University of Michigan

The emergence of microbes resistant to antibiotics ranks with AIDS as a worldwide public health threat. Once curable bacterial illnesses are now resistant to treatment. Ever since antibiotics became widely available in the 1940s, doctors used them as though they were a panacea to eliminate bacteria with little harm to the individual. Yet with each passing decade, bacteria that defy not only single but multiple antibiotics--and therefore are extremely difficult to control and treat--have become increasingly common.

In this seminar, Dr. Randolph E. Regal addresses the interacting processes that put us in this predicament, and will offer some practical solutions for both health care professionals and lay people. Topics discussed include emerging issues in bacterial resistance, the prevalence of antibiotic overuse, and surprising antibiotic use in the food supply and cleaning products.

Learning Objectives

Identify the causes of the fast growth of antibiotic resistant microbial strains.
Recount the evolution of broad-spectrum antibiotic treatments.
Detail the major "thug bugs" that have emerged as a result of antibiotic abuse.
Describe other non-medical uses of antibiotics and how they impact resistance.
Explain what types of public health solutions are available and how they might be implemented.
Specify what hospitals should do to change resistance patterns among bacteria.

Sessions

Session 1	Emerging Bacterial Resistance Issues
Session 2	An Overview of Thug Bugs
Session 3	The Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Era (and Its Ramifications)
Session 4	Antibiotics in the Food Industry and Cleaning Products
Session 5	Practical Solutions to Protect the Public Health
Session 6	Changing the Way Hospitals Use Antibiotics
Contributors

Credits

Technical Requirements

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