Overview of Bacteria
Bacteria are microorganisms that are among the earliest forms of life on Earth. They are found in all different environments, from very cold to very hot. Some forms of bacteria have even been found in rocks deep within the Earth’s crust, feeding on rocks. Most species are benign, but a number cause disease when they invade cells and multiply.
How Do Bacteria Develop Antibiotic Resistance?
Although most bacteria have only one chromosome, they have many genes that carry information that guide growth, metabolism, and reproduction. They reproduce through a simple process of fission, so that all bacteria are normally identical to each other. However, when bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic, not all of them die. The surviving bacteria pass on the genetic change, either through mutation or direct genetic transfer. Bacteria reproduce quickly, so as more of them survive in each generation and pass on their “survival genes”, more generations become resistant to older forms of antibiotics.
Block Proteins to Stop Bacteria
Biochemists are in a never-ending race to find new ways to stop bacteria from multiplying and spreading infection. For example, some deadly bacteria produce chemicals that allow them to fool cell proteins into allowing them in to multiply and kill their host. Scientists are developing ways to block those chemicals, so that the bacteria cannot move within the cell. It is another way to keep bacteria from growing and multiplying in healthy cells. If they cannot grow and multiply, the disease can be stopped, without using antibiotics.
Block Communication to Stop Bacteria
Biologists have also recently discovered details about how bacteria use enzymes to communicate with their host cells and with one another. For example, the bacteria that cause forms of pneumonia like Legionnaire’s disease alter the way that lung cells normally function. The enzymes trick healthy cells and disrupt the immune system. If they can be blocked, then the immune system can defend itself.
Fight Bacteria with their own Poison
Bacteria produce poisons, different forms of toxins, to take over or kill the cells they invade. Some bacteria protect themselves from toxins by developing their own immunity to the poison. They inactivate the toxin until it can be released into the host cell. However, if the toxin is activated while it is within the bacterium, the toxin will kill it from within. Therefore, new forms of antibiotics would fight bacteria by causing them to destroy themselves.
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