Science Café: Bacteria on the warpath
The origin, spread, and treatment of antibiotic resistance.
When we develop serious or life-threatening infections caused by bacteria, we are prescribed antibiotics. With frequent use, the bacteria the medication is intended to target can eventually become resistant to it. Such an infection then becomes untreatable. The so-called hospital bacterium, or MRSA, is notorious. It primarily appears in hospitals because, naturally, there are many people there with poor health or compromised immune systems.
In the past, doctors prescribed antibiotics readily, but since the discovery of antibiotic resistance, they have become very cautious about doing so in our country. Antibiotics were also widely used in livestock farming, often as a precaution. This has also decreased significantly in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, resistance remains a problem.
Dr. Mariëtte Lokate, a researcher at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention at the University Medical Center Groningen, will explain exactly how antibiotic resistance develops, which bacteria are involved, why it is a global problem, and what we notice of it in the Netherlands.
She will explain how resistant bacteria spread between people, as well as through our environment, and what this means for the treatment of infections and daily hospital care. She will discuss research in Groningen into the spread of pathogens and how research findings lead to practical measures.
This evening is organized in collaboration with Van Remmen - UV-C technology for usable water
Live music will be provided by Dubio, and the moderator is Almar Otten.
