PM-262 Antimicrobial Therapy and Resistance

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the fundamentals of antimicrobial resistance, historical milestones in antibiotic development, global health statistics, and priority pathogens as presented in the PM-262 lecture series.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

The ability of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites to change when exposed to drugs, rendering the medicines ineffective and allowing infections to persist.

Sir Alexander Fleming

The scientist who discovered penicillin in $1929$ due to accidental mould contamination.

$$1947$$

The year Staphylococcus aureus was first documented as being resistant to penicillin.

$$20-50\%$$

The estimated range of antibiotic prescriptions in Wales that are considered unsuitable.

$$40\%$$

The proportion of antibiotic use in the UK that is attributed to animal husbandry and agriculture.

$$1.27\,million$$

The number of global deaths specifically attributable to bacterial AMR in $2019$.

$$10\,million$$

The projected annual global death toll from AMR by the year $2050$ according to the O'Neil Review ($2014$).

Professor Dame Sally Davies

The UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance who compared AMR to a "lobster put in cold water slowly heating up."

MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which was first detected in the UK in $1961$.

Critical group (WHO 2024)

A priority category on the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List that includes carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Medical tourism

An international travel factor that contributes to the "contagion" or spread of resistant strains and resistance genes.

Eli Lilly

The company that used some of the first fermentation tanks to mass-produce penicillin in $1945$, marking a turning point in modern medicine.

Antibiotic Guardian

An initiative and pledge system designed to slow resistance by urging the public and healthcare professionals to cut unnecessary antibiotic use.

Coursework assessment weighting

This component accounts for $25\%$ of the total module grade and consists of a case-based Canvas Quiz.

Exam weighting

This component accounts for $75\%$ of the total module grade and consists of a $1.5\,hour$ paper with short answer questions and mock clinical cases.

One Health

An integrated approach to antimicrobial stewardship mentioned as topic $9$ in the module overiew.

Ebers papyrus

A medical document dating back to $1550\,BCE$ referenced in the historical context of infection treatment.

High group (WHO 2024)

A priority category on the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List that includes vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.