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.
Downloads
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.
Data Analysis Case Study
Data Analysis Case Study
Analysis of data to study emergence of TcR on farms
In this case study, students synthesize information from different studies to arrive at a model to explain how human antibiotic resistant infections may be linked to antibiotic use on farms. Students are introduced development of antibiotic resistance within a population of bacteria through natural selection and the “One Health” concept that recognizes how the health of people is connected to our environment and the health of animals. Importantly, the evidence does not prove causation, but conveys to students how an accumulation of evidence compels us to adopt a particular model. The concept of selective pressure is reviewed.
