Abby Beerman

The Role of Resistance in Medical Progress

Abstract:

In the last two centuries, the field of public health has made incredible progress. According to the World Health Organization, the practice of vaccination and prescription of antibiotics are responsible for an additional 20 years added to the average life span. However, resistance has played an integral role in the development of advancements, such as vaccines and antibiotics. For vaccination, this opposition came in the form of anti-vaccinationists, or people who were opposed to vaccines and compulsory vaccination. The relationship between the anti-vaccinationists and public health officials in Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1924 affected the development of the smallpox vaccine. The arguments of anti-vaccinationists resulted in government regulation and a definition of what could be labeled a vaccine. For antibiotics, opposition came in the form of resistant microbes. Strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria are forcing a shift in medical thought and in the community understanding of treatment. I used Haemophilus ducreyi, the bacteria responsible for chancroid, as a model to explore the mechanisms for how resistance can appear in a population. It is important to understand how and why resistance arises because it provides insight into how we can improve medical practices. The understanding of resistance, in all its forms, can allow for greater success in public health delivery.