Video shows: Bacteria become resistant 1,000 times in just 2 weeks

When it comes to bacteria becoming increasingly resistant to drugs and can cause up to 10 million deaths a year, most of us can't imagine what is going on. Partly because the bacteria are so small, so "invisible" under the eyes of ordinary people.

But the truth is that the evolution of bacteria is always happening every day and right around each of us. It silently turns ordinary bacteria into extremely dangerous drug-resistant viruses.

In order to make that invisible process visible, scientists from Harvard Medical School and the Techion-Israel Institute of Technology have designed an experiment that lets you see for yourself: Bacteria can become resistant. 1,000 times in just 12 days.

See how bacteria evolve into viruses, resistance to 1,000 times in 12 days.

In the experiment, scientists built a large experimental dish (120x60 cm). It is called the Microbial Evolution Growth Arena (MEGA) , roughly translated as evolutionary space and microbial growth . The MEGA disc is divided into 9 parts and scientists will allocate the antibiotic available inside.

At the two ends of the MEGA plate, there are no antibiotics. But every few centimeters towards the center are antibiotic lines with a 10-fold increase in effect. At the center, the antibiotic dose was 1,000 times higher than the outer line.

The antibiotic used in the experiment is trimethoprim . Dr. Michael Baym, the study author, said they chose trimethoprim because it is a common antibiotic. Besides, Baym explained: "We have a lot of experience to understand how bacteria evolve to be resistant to trimethoprim."

MEGA sheets are divided with antibiotic lines.

In addition to the antibiotic lines, the entire MEGA plate is spread out with 14 liters of agar, a substance commonly used in the laboratory as an environment for bacterial growth. In this case, they used the E. coli strain.

See for yourself how resistant bacteria are

A camera is set to record the process of bacterial growth on the MEGA plate for 2 weeks. You will see all of the MEGA panels in black, while, whenever the bacteria grow and multiply, they will show on milky white parts.

Bacteria stop before the first antibiotic line, but quickly overcome and resist.

Starting from the two ends of the MEGA plate, you will see that when you encounter the first antibiotic line, the bacteria have to falter before the power of the transcendent weapon of mankind. But they only stop for a moment. A small group of bacteria were able to survive and overcome. Surely they brought a mutation against antibiotics.

After that, the bacteria containing mutations gradually proliferate and dominate the quantity in the population. The milky white color gradually spread to the entire MEGA plate between two antibiotic lines. Bacteria once again stopped at higher doses of antibiotics, but quickly overcame them. The process of repeating until the antibiotic resistant bacteria is 1,000 times the birth, the whole MEGA plate has a milky white color.

By the time the whole MEGA plate was covered with a white color, the bacteria were 1,000 times more resistant.

This video is part of a study published in the journal Science. Scientists hope that this technique will help them better understand the complex, latent patterns in the process of bacteria becoming antibiotic-resistant viruses.

Moreover, the experiment offers a more intuitive view for the public about how scientists are warning them about the dangers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria."When people understand how quickly bacteria evolve to become resistant, they will understand why antibiotics should be limited to prescription. Resistance to drugs is not an abstract threat. Evolutionary biology involved in the study, Tami Lieberman, said.

It is expected that 10 million people will die from antibiotic resistance in 2050.

Recently, a report in the JAMA magazine found that 30% of prescription antibiotics are not needed. They increase the chance of bacteria becoming resistant. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 23,000 people die each year from a drug-resistant infection. The worldwide figure by 2050 could be 10 million, more than the number of people dying of cancer.

Through video made by scientists from Harvard Medical School and Techion-Israel Institute of Technology, we can be more aware of avoiding antibiotic abuse. At least everyone understands that increasing antibiotic doses doesn't work. Bacteria can resist a dose 1,000 times stronger in less than 2 weeks.