Question

1.What does it mean for a bacterium to be “antibiotic resistant”? In your opinion, what factors have led to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria?

2. How does Penicillin work? In what other ways might Penicillin (and similar drugs) be used to inhibit a bacterium’s ability to cause infection or persist in a host? (HINT: Think about the other structural features of a bacterium)

3. Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to human health. What role do beta-lactamases have in increasing bacterial resistance to drugs such as penicillin? In the future, do you feel we will be able to “solve” the antibiotic resistance problem?