Antibiotic Resistance
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00:00What the heck are you doing in mom's hazmat suit?
00:10What do you mean I'm unclean?
00:15Dear Tim and Moby, On the news, I keep hearing about super bugs
00:19that medicine can't kill.
00:21I'm scared.
00:22Can you tell me more?
00:24From Spencer.
00:26Sure thing, Spencer.
00:27But first, I don't have a super bug, so you need to take that silly suit off.
00:34Anyway, let's start at the beginning.
00:39Bacteria are the most abundant form of life on Earth.
00:42These single-celled organisms are everywhere, from the depths of the ocean to our own intestines.
00:48Most bacteria are harmless, and many are even beneficial.
00:52They help us digest food and stuff.
00:54But a few of them are just no good.
00:57If they get inside your body, they can reproduce and cause nasty diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis,
01:02and strep throat.
01:06Up through the first half of the 20th century, bacterial infections often killed people.
01:11But then, scientists started developing drugs called antibiotics.
01:16Antibiotics kill bacteria or stop them from reproducing.
01:19Millions of lives were saved by antibiotics, and deadly diseases suddenly became manageable.
01:25There was a downside.
01:28Remember how I said that bacteria have been around for billions of years, and how they
01:31exist practically everywhere on Earth?
01:34Well, that means they're good at adapting to lots of different conditions.
01:39Bacteria reproduce at an incredible rate.
01:41Some can make new offspring every 20 minutes.
01:44Every time a bacterium reproduces, there's a chance that its offspring will inherit genetic
01:49mutations, or changes in the code that governs its development and growth.
01:53Since bacteria reproduce so often, these mutations happen all the time.
01:58Most of the mutations don't have much of an effect.
02:01And some hurt the bacteria.
02:03But sometimes, genetic mutations help bacteria survive better in their surroundings.
02:08Now, guess what kind of change might make bacteria stronger and more durable?
02:14Yep, through mutation and natural selection, bacteria can develop the ability to be unaffected
02:20by antibiotics intended to kill them.
02:22This is called antibiotic resistance.
02:26These new, improved bacteria can create lots of copies of themselves.
02:30And in no time at all, a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can spread through a neighborhood,
02:35a school, or a hospital ward.
02:37Recently, a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria called MRSA began making people sick
02:42throughout the world.
02:44These kinds of so-called super-bugs can cause infections that are difficult to treat, and
02:48they've led to tens of thousands of deaths over the last few years.
02:52Well, most scientists believe that these bacteria develop resistance because antibiotics have
02:57been overused.
03:00Since antibiotics worked so well for so long, people sometimes took them when they really
03:04weren't needed.
03:06And cows, chickens, and other livestock were put on a steady diet of antibiotics throughout
03:11their lives, whether they were sick or not.
03:15Antibacterial agents have also been put into ordinary household products like soap, toothpaste,
03:19and hand lotion.
03:21These antibiotics kill the weakest bacteria and allow strong, antibiotic-resistant bacteria
03:26to grow and thrive.
03:29Well, there's no reason to panic.
03:33You can do a lot to avoid antibiotic-resistant bacteria just by using your common sense.
03:39First of all, don't use unnecessary antibacterial products.
03:43They're made to make you feel safer, but they don't generally work any better than regular products.
03:48Maintaining good hygiene is another simple thing you can do, so wash your hands frequently
03:52with good old soap and water.
03:55Bacteria often sneak into your body through cuts and scrapes, so if you get a cut, clean
03:59it out and put a bandage on it as soon as possible.
04:02Finally, if you come down with an illness that requires antibiotics, follow your doctor's
04:07instructions to the letter.
04:09It can be tempting to stop taking an antibiotic as soon as you feel better, but finishing
04:14the full course ups the chances of killing all the disease-causing bacteria.
04:18Plus, it reduces the risk of resistance.
04:21Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to my book.
04:25Ah!
04:26Moby!
04:27No, no, that book did not contain any unnecessary antibiotics.
04:34Are you trying to protect me?
04:38Oh, fine.