Biology questions on antibiotics

Over the past few weeks you have been reading about antimicrobial therapies.  There are several antibiotics (both natural and semi-synthetic) that are used to target bacterial disease. However, an increasing problem we are facing today is resistance to antibiotics. According to the CDC “Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria or other microbes to resist the effects of an antibiotic. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in some way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents designed to cure or prevent infections”

Read the following World Health Day statement by WHO (World Health Organization) Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2011/whd_20110407/en/index.html

•  Based on what you have learned about bacteria in this class, what mechanisms are used by bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics? 

•  How might we reduce this risk?

•  Comment on the future of antibiotic resistance and bacterial disease.

Do you feel we are headed for improvement or disaster? Explain your reasoning fully.