Freshmen Biology Students Explore Antibiotic Resistance (By Laura Robinette Minor, Biology Instructor)
The ninth-grade biologists have been working to answer the question: Why don't antibiotics work like they used to? The unit began with an introduction to a real-life patient named Addie, who, at age 11, suddenly became very ill. The antibiotics used to treat her infection were not effective, and while in the hospital she contracted a second infection while on life support.
Our biologists took action out of concern for Addie, asking questions like:
- Aren't hospitals supposed to be clean? How did she get another infection?"
- What is the difference between these two types of bacteria she was infected with?
- What is the difference between viral and bacterial infections?
- How and why do antibiotics work?
- Why did the antibiotics seem to work for a little while, but then quit helping Addie?
In order to answer these questions, they've investigated microbial life, what even counts as "living," graphed the growth curves of bacteria over time, compared petri dishes of bacterial colonies collected at a school in Colorado, and learned about different classes of antibiotics and how they work (which included watching beta-lactams cause bacteria to explode). Next, they are about to dive into the nitty-gritty of the evolution of bacteria that brings about antibiotic resistance.
List of 1 items.
-
We are a
Family of Families
3000 Barton Creek Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78735 (512) 328-2323
Associations
Nondiscrimination Policy
St. Gabriel’s Catholic School and St. Michael’s Catholic Academy do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, age, gender, national or ethnic origin in : (i) the admission of students; (ii) the offerings of rights, privileges, programs, or activities generally made available to their students; or (iii) the administration of educational policies, financial grant programs, athletic programs, employment practices or policies, or other school-administered programs.