Tracing the course of antibiotic resistance using PCR

This skill-building lab represents a fictional case study of a very real problem. Students are presented with information regarding an outbreak of food-borne infection that is resistant to treatment with antibiotics. They are tasked with using PCR and gel electrophoresis to establish whether farms are at risk from antibiotic resistant bacteria that may be spreading in the environment. This known-outcome activity introduces students to the concept of environmental antibiotic resistance and is a great skill-builder to precede the “Identification of TetR Genes” (eDNA) molecular module. 

The most recent materials for this module (including instructor and student guide as well as teaching slides) can be found on the Curriculum Downloads page of the miniPCR Agricultural Monitoring Lab web page.

External Links

This module is a collaborative effort with miniPCR and is appropriate for high school and undergraduate classrooms.