Chapter 5 : Heroes, Saints, and Microbes

Abstract:

The author had a firsthand opportunity to see the world of microbiology come alive with astonishing relevance as physicians came to the clinical microbiology laboratory to learn about the infections in their patients and, more important, about which antimicrobial agents to select for therapy. After reading several dozen Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion plates, the author's fascination with antimicrobial resistance began. A better understanding of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and the exchange genetic information among bacteria became a key research imperative. There were several different plasmid fingerprints observed among the many isolates that were collected, but more important, there appeared to be a common pattern among the "outbreak-related’’ strains. The strain from the author's tofu did not match the outbreak pattern, but the fact that plasmid fingerprinting worked was joyous news. Although the plasmid fingerprinting technique could be applied almost universally to most bacterial species, it was common at conferences to hear sometimes congenial, but at other times heated, discussions about how to interpret the results.