Interactive Microbiology Video Transcript

This is a transcript of the video on the Educator Features page and Student Features page.

Rebecca entered the hospital to have a routine appendectomy.

While recovering from surgery, Rebecca started experiencing the signs and symptoms of pneumonia: coughing, fever, chest pain, and chills.

Her doctor prescribed a course of antimicrobial ciprofloxacin as treatment.

However, after the ciprofloxaxin treatment, Rebecca's pneumonia was not improved.

In fact, it was worse.

Lab work performed on a sputum sample indicated that the Gram-negative bacterium

Klebsiella pneumoniae was the cause of Rebecca's infection.

Rebecca asks the nurse,

“Why did the ciprofloxacin treatment not kill off the bacteria?”

The nurse replies, “The bacteria are drug resistant. They have mechanisms for preventing the drug from reaching its target.”

“Its target?” asks Rebecca.

Yes,” says the nurse, “Let me explain.”