Antibiotic resistant bacteria: The death of the human race?

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in cooperation with Chalmers University of Technology analyzed the DNA of several species of bacteria with known antibiotic resistant plasmid, IncP-1 plasmid. They discovered that the IncP-1 plasmid has been in many different species of bacteria and have adapted to those different species. Even if the species are not pathogenic, they can still received the plasmid and then pass it on to other pathogenic bacteria or viruses. This is an example of what we learned in class as horizontal gene transfer, the transforming principle, and recombination.

This is an unsettling find because since the antibiotic resistant genes have been transferred to many different species, then it will continue to do so. Eventually, all of bacteria, and possibly viruses will become resistant to all known antibiotics. One could say to just make more antibiotics then. Well, depending on how fast bacteria and other viruses can become resistant to antibiotics, humans might not be able to keep up. If that happens, then it might be the end of humans as we know it.