What We've Learned

• I think that it is interesting that by prescribing antibiotics that doctors can be killing patients ribosomes and in the long run making patients resistance to the antibiotics. Doctors can also be causing mutations when in fact they are attempting to treat the patient. Also doctors try to educate people about mutations which occur with UV rays as in tanning and try to “speak out” against it but may also be contributing to it.

• Although I’ve heard of diseases being caused by protein misfolding, and antibiotics that interfere with protein folding, I had never made any sort of connection between the two. It’s interesting to think that something potentially dangerous to humans (antibiotic resistance) could lead to a better understanding and ultimately, treatment, of other diseases. It’s scary to think about how bacteria is slowly becoming resistant to antibiotics, and one day we might not be treat certain bacterial infections. To me, it’s the most easily observable example of natural selection today.

• Something I learned and was interesting to me was, that not all bacteria are defenseless against the antibiotic producers. Many possess genes that encode proteins to neutralize the affects of antibiotics and prevent attacks on their cell machinery. These specific proteins protect ribosomes by binding them and changing their shape or conformation. The change in the ribosome shape prevents an antibiotic from binding and interfering with protein synthesis. So in essence they have their own way to resist antibiotic pressures and tactics in dodging the bullet.
  
  Thoughts for group:
  Doctors need to be aware of evolution especially because of antibiotic resistance. Doctors need to understand that if they over-prescribe antibiotics (e.g. for viral infections), they can be causing a person more harm that may not respond to antibiotics when they need it. Also, they need to be able to explain the importance of patients taking all of their antibiotics or else they might only knock out the less resistance bacteria.