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Amber Long
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
February 16, 2016
Topic Proposal: The Antibiotic Apocalypse
Introduction/Overview
Antibiotic resistance has been described as one of the worlds most pressing health issues.
Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of an antibiotic. This resistance
occurs when bacteria change in a way that reduces the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other
agents designed to cure or prevent infections. The bacteria survive and continue to multiply,
causing more harm (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). I will be examining the
adverse effects that antibiotic resistance will potentially have on the world in the near future, and
how we can stop it.
Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs used in human medicine and
can they be lifesaving. However, up to 50% of the time antibiotics are not optimally prescribed,
often done so when not needed, incorrect dosing or duration. The germs that contaminate food
can become resistant because of the use of antibiotics in people and in food animals. For some
germs, like the bacteria Salmonella and Campylobacter, it is primarily the use of antibiotics in
food animals that increases resistance. Because of the link the between antibiotic use in foodproducing animals and the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant infections in humans, antibiotics that
are medically important to treating infections in humans should be used in food-producing
animals only under veterinary oversight and only to manage and treat infectious disease, not to
promote growth. The other major factor in the growth of antibiotic resistance is spread of the

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resistant strains of bacteria from person to person, or from the non-human sources in the
environment (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
In a 1945 interview with the New York Times, Alexander Fleming called for stopping the
overuse of penicillin in order to slow the development of resistance. Nearly 65 years later, in
2009, more than 3 million kg of antibiotics were administered to human patients in the United
States alone; in 2010, a staggering 13 million kg were administered to animals. The majority of
the animal antibiotic use was meant to promote the growth of livestock. We cannot confront
resistance unless we stop exposing the environment to massive quantities of antibiotics and their
resulting selective pressure (The New England Journal of Medicine).
In order to learn more about antibiotic resistance I used several different websites to
search questions that I had about the topic such as: Why are our bodies becoming immune to
antibiotics? How can we put a stop to antibiotic resistance? What will happen if we cant put a
stop to it? What year will antibiotic resistance become even more of a serious issue? And who
primarily be effected by it (race, social class, sex, etc.)? I used the following websites in order to
get the information and statistics I was searching for: The New England Journal of Medicine,
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Medical Daily, and Pew Trusts. Ive always been
interested in science and biology, but I definitely had to delve deeper on this topic for a sufficient
understanding of it. I found the Center for Disease Control and Preventions website to be the
most useful in my comprehension of the subject.
Antibiotics resistance is an issue worldwide. In some parts of Africa, as many as 80% of
Staphylococcus aureus infections are reported to be resistant to methicillin (MRSA), meaning
treatment with standard antibiotics does not work. In the Americas, in some settings, as many as
90% of Staphylococcus aureus infections are reported to be methicillin-resistant (World Health

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Organization), meaning that once again, treatment with standard antibiotics does not work.
Americans generally have a good understand of antibiotic resistance and the way it effects the
community. However, nearly as many as 39% of Americans believe that one individuals use of
antibiotics does not make a difference for how antibiotics affect others in the community.
Antibiotic resistance is only on the public radar in a limited way. Just one in four (25%) have
heard a great deal about antibiotic resistance, and another 33% have heard a fair amount. 41%
have heard some or nothing at all about the issue. Antibiotic resistance is viewed as at least being
somewhat of a problem by most people, but fewer than half see it as a big problem. Those
who have heard more about antibiotic resistance are more likely to see it as a big problem. Sixtyeight percent (68%) of people who have heard a great deal about antibiotic resistance say that
it is a big problem, while just 27% of those who have heard nothing at all say the same (Pew
Trusts).
People who took the survey were divided on whether antibiotic resistance will impact
them in some way. Fifty-two percent (52%) of people believe that it is likely that antibiotic
resistance will affect them personally (i.e., they or someone they know will contract an illness
that is resistant to antibiotics). However, this includes just 15% who believe this is very likely
to happen; moreover, 42% see such a scenario as unlikely. People who have heard a great deal
about antibiotic resistance, however, are more than twice as likely (66%) to believe that they will
be personally affected than those who have heard nothing at all about antibiotic resistance
(31%). Frequent users of antibiotics are also more likely to believe antibiotic resistance could
affect them personally than are people who have not taken antibiotics in the past two years (Pew
Trusts).

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Initial Inquiry Question(s)

What effect will antibiotic resistance have on other countries and the world in the future?
How can we end antibiotic resistance?

My Interest in this Topic

I am interested in antibiotic resistance because it is becoming more of an issue as the
years go on and the negative effects of it are inevitable. It is a significant issue because it will
impact myself and everyone around me. Many people will die as a result and some people even
describe the future to come as an antibiotic apocalypse. Antibiotic resistance will likely kill
more people than cancer by the year 2050 (Medical Daily). For centuries humans have been
hurting their own health, and its critical that we find a way to fix it for the sake of the human
race. I hope to learn more about how we can fix this problem (if we can at all), and how it will
impact the world as a whole.

Next Steps
I will be using the Center for Disease Control and Preventions website as a main part of
my research because there is a vast amount of resources on the topic of antibiotic resistance on
their website. The CDCs website provides a generally recent report on antibiotic resistance from
the year 2013 that I believe will be useful to me for this topic. It provides a first-ever snapshot
of the burden and threats posed by the antibiotic-resistant germs having the most impact on
human. I will be using The World Health Organizations website as well. I think that resources I
find on the internet will provide me with the most recent information I need.