How can we solve the antibiotic resistance crisis? - Gerry Wright

Take a closer look at the challenges of antibiotic resistance and what we can do to prevent losing this vital medicine.

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Antibiotics: behind the scenes, they enable much of modern medicine. We use them to cure infectious diseases, and to safely facilitate everything from surgery to chemotherapy to organ transplants. But we’ve stopped discovering new ones and we’re at risk of losing them forever. How did we get into this situation? Gerry Wright shares what we can do about antibiotic resistance.

Lesson by Gerry Wright, directed by Artrake Studio.

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[johnnybadboy]

I like how the tanks progress historically just as the antibiotics did.

[wood]

The public’s awareness of phages will hopefully encourage pharma to invest into the important rnd for phages to be used in large scales like antibiotics, wonderful video TedEd!

[bittersweetreclaimedlands]

A doctor on an interview was saying exactly this and he was told to not scare people. Today, on national television.

[AJEETSINGH-nxll]

Yeah we've got financial stability for war but nothing against bacteria.

[reymundalagos]

PLEASE DON’T USE ANTIBIOTICS WHEN YOU DON’T NEED IT ‼️‼️‼️

[IAmQube]

Antibiotics saved my Mom’s life last month. She had a myriad of different infections in her body by MANY DIFFERENT TYPES of bacteria. One of them being antibiotic resistant to more than half of the antibiotics available. It’s scary to think what would happen if we got a bacteria that is completely antibiotic resistant. My mom wouldn’t have stood a chance.

[differenttankshapes]

Can we stop funding useless wars and start putting funds into life saving medicine

[finix]

We learned about them in class and learnt that if the bacteria gain immunity against antibiotics, it could be responsible for millions of deaths each year. Thanks Ted once again for a informative video with a wonderful animation.

[balaalalaslk]

One thing a doctor told me about medicine and particularly anti-bacterials, is that you must complete your dosage given by the doctor even if you feel better and don't feel like taking it anymore.


You are giving the tiny group that managed to hide away from the medicine a fighting chance, and they might come back with a vengeance.


When you feel better think of it as the last step in Street Fighter, FINISH HIM (the bacteria).

[johnsurette]

How can there be dislikes when this was posted 4 minutes ago and the video is 6 minutes long

[salt_factory]

The fact that ted put the effort in to make the "original antibiotic tank" an FT-17 warms my heart. Ah yes the topic, us all dying from disease yeah right back to that thing.

[wood]

Another thing that helps is that phages evolve too!

[Leo-imsm]

I Iiterally feel so very enlightened after watching TED-ED videos. And love the way they explain various concepts using graphics 👍🏻

[Alkalus]

Coronavirus Outbreak: *exists*
Ted-Ed: _Let’s keep learning, everyone!_

[Rustycannon]

I love how you guy represented the first antibiotic, penicilin as the renault ft 17. The first tank with a rotating turret.

[sarveshsawant]

Just an indication that we are funding the wrong things

[HayashiManabu]

The only thing that can make me more depressed during the coronavirus outbreak is a bacteria invasion

[arsilvyfish]

Gerry Wright is one of the best narrators I have ever heard to.
His voice has a magical knowledge effect as if I can learn the most boring things by listening to him 😄😌

[obby]

"Save someone's life or make more money"
Companies: *GIVE ME THE CASH*

[derekyong]

My notes:
- The first antibiotics were effective against a vast variety of bacteria, but those bacteria grew resistant over time
- Newer antibiotics were created, but these could only target specific types of bacteria
- Thus, antibiotics were sold in fewer doses than before, making them less profitable.
- Profitability further decreased when doctors began practising more discretion about overprescribing antibiotics.
- Decentivised from discovering new antibiotics, pharmaceuticals began focusing on producing more profitable drugs, such as those that could be used over a person’s lifetime (e.g. blood pressure medication)
- By the 1980’s, no new antibiotics were discovered
- Bacteria grew increasingly resistant to existing antibiotics, and even began sharing resistance cross-species
- This problem perpetuates when antibiotics are used in farms to boost animal growth
- Solutions involve:
a) controlling antibiotic use (especially in farms)
b) producing new antibiotics (pharmacists can study the use of phages and antibiotics produced by fungi)
c) creating antibiotics that can break bacterial resistance (e.g. creating antibiotics that are resistant to the protein compounds some bacteria create to destroy antibiotics)
d) creating new economic schemes that would incentivise drug companies to discover and produce antibiotics (e.g. those that rely on subscription rather than quantity)