BCHM 10000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Suicide Inhibition, Gram-Positive Bacteria, Beta-Lactamase
3 Jul 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Antibiotic resistance
• Sir Alexander Fleming
– Nobel Prize 1945 along with Ernst B. Chain and Sir Howard Florey
●in 1928 observed that mould had developed accidently on a staphylococcus culture plate
●the mould created a bacteria-free circle around itself.
●found that a mould culture prevented growth of staphylococci, even when diluted 800
times.
●named the active substance penicillin.
What enzyme had Fleming discovered earlier in his career?
Lysozyme
What species of mould had populated Fleming’s bacterial plates
Penicillin
What units did Florey and Chain use to measure penicillin
Oxford unit
What experiments showed that penicillin could be safely used to treat humans
Injected them into mice
When were experiments first published?
1941
1. What principle of evolution do bacteria use to become resistant to antibiotics?
Selection Pressure
2. What environmental conditions occur in order for this to happen?
Environmental changes eliminate species that cannot tolerate the conditions and makes
the species more adept to harsher conditions
3. Does this remind you of anything else we’ve studied in class?
No
4. What are the 3 mechanisms of antibiotic resistance discussed?
