Skip to main content

What causes antibiotic resistance? - Kevin Wu

3,824,820 Views

28,874 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Right now, you are inhabited by trillions of microorganisms. Many of these bacteria are harmless (or even helpful!), but there are a few strains of ‘super bacteria’ that are pretty nasty -- and they’re growing resistant to our antibiotics. Why is this happening? Kevin Wu details the evolution of this problem that presents a big challenge for the future of medicine.

Penicillin-binding protein 2a, encoded by the medA gene, isn’t affected by beta-lactam antibiotics.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Kevin Wu
  • Animator Brett Underhill
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Narrator Pen-Pen Chen

More from Getting Under Our Skin