Think Science: Infectious Disease And Antibiotic Resistance

Mention the word “Ebola” and it brings to mind images of quarantines, fever, and hazmat suits. But how much do we have to worry about a widespread outbreak of the deadly disease? And is there an even greater danger lurking that we’ve caused ourselves through overuse of antibiotics? They’re questions on the minds of many thinking folks, and we got some answers from the experts last month as Texas Public Radio's inaugural “Think Science” event. 

About the presentations:

Anthony Griffiths’ group works on Ebola virus in the Texas Biomedical Research Institute BSL-4 (maximum containment) laboratory.  Funded by DoD and NIH, they study virus pathogenesis, evolution, detection, and perform advanced development of vaccines and therapeutics.  His presentation will discuss the differences between the development of vaccines and therapies against Ebola virus versus other viruses.

Dr. Karl Klose's research and presentation focuses on antibiotics, miracle drugs that have saved millions of lives from bacterial infections.  But bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, which means we are now running out of drugs to treat common infections. Understanding how bacteria cause disease, how antibiotics work, and how bacteria become resistant to these drugs is critical in the fight against infectious diseases.  If the fight against bacterial infections is viewed as a war against an ever-changing foe, the best strategy is to constantly develop new “weapons.” Robust and innovative research to discover new antibiotics, in addition to careful use of existing antibiotics, will help us maintain the upper hand in the fight against microbes.

“Think Science” is made possible by The University of Texas at San Antonio.