Antibiotic Resistance and You

Abstract - Antibiotic resistance has been firmly placed on the agenda of governments and international bodies and there is a nervous realisation that humans could be about to face one of the biggest health threats in their history.

Focusing on the human as a host, Adam will give an introduction into what antibiotic resistance is and what promotes its longevity and spread within the bacteria that call us home. Drawing on recent results from his lab, and those of others, he will demonstrate that we are all colonised by bacteria harbouring antibiotic resistance and discuss why that resistance is so hard, if not impossible, to displace.

Next Adam will move onto what can be done about it all and discuss the urgent need for new antibiotics and why there are very few in development. Finally he will talk about the power of public engagement with the issues surrounding antibiotic resistance. He will highlight his “Swab and Send” project; a citizen science, crowd-funding initiative aimed to promote awareness of the topic and discover new antibiotics from the strangest places you can think of.

Host - Mike Brockhurst