Alachua County Pilot Program Integrates Antimicrobial Resistance Education into High School Curriculum to Combat Global Public Health Crisis
In a proactive move to address the escalating global threat of superbugs—microbes resistant to multiple medicines like antibiotics—University of Florida (UF) researchers are taking the fight directly to the classroom, educating the next generation of consumers.
Researchers from the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science have successfully implemented a weeklong module in a ninth-grade biology class at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Alachua County. The goal is to fill a critical gap in public health knowledge.
“Antibiotics are in every household, but antimicrobial resistance is nowhere in the public school curriculum,” said Sanil Nadar, a biology teacher at P.K. Yonge and a Ph.D. student at UF/IFAS. “That has to change.”
The Resistance Threat
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the ability of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites to resist medical treatment, is a top global public health threat, linked to 1.27 million deaths in 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The economic burden is also staggering, with the World Bank Group estimating AMR could add $1 trillion in health care costs to the global economy by 2050.
The misuse of antibiotics—such as not completing a prescribed course or using them incorrectly to treat viral infections—is a key factor in the development of AMR, Nadar explained.
Powerful Educational Impact
Nadar and Dr. Daniel Czyz, an associate professor in the UF Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, designed the lesson plan to help young people understand their crucial role in preventing the spread of AMR.
The effectiveness of the lessons was published Tuesday in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. The study reported that the classroom module significantly improved students’ understanding of why AMR is dangerous both locally and globally.
The curriculum combined theoretical knowledge with practical, hands-on lab experiments where students tested for antimicrobial resistance. Students also learned about potential therapies such as immunotherapy, bacteriophages, and nanoparticles.
“This was a perfect example of how education can be a powerful tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance,” Dr. Czyz noted. The impact went beyond public health, with one student expressing newfound interest in a science career, calling it “so ‘cool’.”
Future Expansion
With the pilot program proving successful, the researchers are now planning to expand the module to public schools across Florida. The ultimate vision is to see this critical life science programming included in statewide and eventually nationwide public school curricula, Nadar stated.
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