AN AGE OF RESISTANCE
Editor's Note: Katie P. ('18) explores the importance of bacteria in this article for her advanced chemistry class.
Carl Zimmer’s New York Times article, In Ancient DNA, Evidence of Plague Much Earlier Than Known, discusses the origin and progression of ravaging epidemics and some of their resulting social effects. The study discussed within the article traces the origin of the plague by analyzing the DNA composition of human remains ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. Although scientists initially hypothesized that major plague (for the most part) sprung with the epidemic of black death, they have observed traces of the disease within human DNA from significantly earlier. In comparing these early samples to those of the black plague, it is clear that overtime the bacteria mutated to take on more infectious forms, adapting to become a highly contagious zoonotic disease although not initially so. Over the course of these hundreds of years, the devastating black plague took on a form which would allow its transmission via fleas, essentially causing the diseases to annihilate a significant portion of the European population.
The article begins by stating, “bacteria can change history,” a statement which summarizes exactly why this article is so crucial to read. Arguably the most important part of the article is the speed and intensity of mutation the plague experienced. Over the course of hundreds of years, different strains of plague mutated to kill thousands and thousands around the globe from ancient civilizations to both pre and post Renaissance Europe, causing the destruction of cultures, the migration of peoples, and major social changes. It is crucial to recognize that bacteria will always mutate even against our modern knowledge of medicine, becoming stronger and more resilient as we continue to find ways to prevent diseases. However, the rate by which these diseases mutate is often faster than the speed by which we stumble upon significant medical advances, which is especially concerning given one of our last major breakthroughs in the prevention of bacterial illnesses is penicillin, which was discovered in 1928-- almost ninety years ago. BBC health editor James Gallagher writes about this phenomenon of bacteria mutation in his article, Antibiotic Resistance: World on Cusp of Post-Antibiotic Era, in which some new mutations have begun to resist antibiotics, suggesting an impending era of antibiotic-resistance. Although this resistance was initially found in pigs, the MCR-1 DNA mutation that causes this antibiotic resistance has also spread to other strains of bacterial infections including E-coli, and has crossed the borders of a variety of Asian nations including China, Laos, and Malaysia. The United States National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health have both analyzed the origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance as well, concluding just the same.
Articles such as these are crucial to both the scientific community and the larger population. Without understanding the role bacteria plays in our lives and its importance in determining the success of a society, we may face disaster if we were to reach a post-antibiotic era. However, it is reassuring to know that many large players in global health care including the World Health Organization (WHO) have begun to take steps to both prevent antibiotic resistance with the development of new drugs and to educate the public on how to prevent this resistance. For now, we can do our part by only using antibiotics when absolutely necessary, and by changing hospital practices to prevent the growth of “super bacteria.”
Bibliography:
Zimmer, C. (2015, October 22). In Ancient DNA, Evidence of Plague Much Earlier Than
Previously Known. Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/23/science/in-ancient-dna-evidence-of-plague-much-earlier-than-previously-known.html
Gallagher, J. (2015, November 19). Antibiotic resistance: World on cusp of 'post-antibiotic era' BBC News. Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34857015
Davies, J., & Davies, D. (2010, September). Origins and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance. Retrieved January 6, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2937522/
Wu, K. (2014, August 7). What Causes Antibiotic Resistance [Video file]? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znnp-Ivj2ek
The article begins by stating, “bacteria can change history,” a statement which summarizes exactly why this article is so crucial to read. Arguably the most important part of the article is the speed and intensity of mutation the plague experienced. Over the course of hundreds of years, different strains of plague mutated to kill thousands and thousands around the globe from ancient civilizations to both pre and post Renaissance Europe, causing the destruction of cultures, the migration of peoples, and major social changes. It is crucial to recognize that bacteria will always mutate even against our modern knowledge of medicine, becoming stronger and more resilient as we continue to find ways to prevent diseases. However, the rate by which these diseases mutate is often faster than the speed by which we stumble upon significant medical advances, which is especially concerning given one of our last major breakthroughs in the prevention of bacterial illnesses is penicillin, which was discovered in 1928-- almost ninety years ago. BBC health editor James Gallagher writes about this phenomenon of bacteria mutation in his article, Antibiotic Resistance: World on Cusp of Post-Antibiotic Era, in which some new mutations have begun to resist antibiotics, suggesting an impending era of antibiotic-resistance. Although this resistance was initially found in pigs, the MCR-1 DNA mutation that causes this antibiotic resistance has also spread to other strains of bacterial infections including E-coli, and has crossed the borders of a variety of Asian nations including China, Laos, and Malaysia. The United States National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health have both analyzed the origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance as well, concluding just the same.
Articles such as these are crucial to both the scientific community and the larger population. Without understanding the role bacteria plays in our lives and its importance in determining the success of a society, we may face disaster if we were to reach a post-antibiotic era. However, it is reassuring to know that many large players in global health care including the World Health Organization (WHO) have begun to take steps to both prevent antibiotic resistance with the development of new drugs and to educate the public on how to prevent this resistance. For now, we can do our part by only using antibiotics when absolutely necessary, and by changing hospital practices to prevent the growth of “super bacteria.”
Bibliography:
Zimmer, C. (2015, October 22). In Ancient DNA, Evidence of Plague Much Earlier Than
Previously Known. Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/23/science/in-ancient-dna-evidence-of-plague-much-earlier-than-previously-known.html
Gallagher, J. (2015, November 19). Antibiotic resistance: World on cusp of 'post-antibiotic era' BBC News. Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34857015
Davies, J., & Davies, D. (2010, September). Origins and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance. Retrieved January 6, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2937522/
Wu, K. (2014, August 7). What Causes Antibiotic Resistance [Video file]? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znnp-Ivj2ek
