What's bugging us? Antibiotic resistant bacteria! Karl Klose at TEDxSanAntonio 2013

Antibiotics are miracle drugs that have saved millions of lives from bacterial infections. But bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics. We are now running out of drugs to treat common infections. Understanding how bacteria cause disease, how antibiotics work, and how bacteria become resistant to these drugs is critical in the fight against infectious diseases. Bacteria are amazing organisms that have a variety of strategies to cause disease, but most bacterial diseases can be treated effectively with antibiotics. Yet bacteria can rapidly convert to become antibiotic resistant when they are in the constant presence of antibiotics, such as in hospitals. If the fight against bacterial infections is viewed as a war against an ever-changing foe, the best strategy is to constantly develop new "weapons". Robust and innovative research to discover new antibiotics, in addition to careful use of existing antibiotics, will help us maintain the upper hand in the fight against microbes.

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