Resistance in Parasites and Microbes

Sunday 17 November 2019, 7pm. Districts Club.

Antibiotic and Anthelmintic Resistance are topics of great and current interest, to scientists, doctors, vets and farmers, as well as anyone going into hospital or at risk of infection or parasitism – in other words most of the population. A large part of the discussion is around clarifying the causal mechanisms for the development of resistance, but the conversation often moves quickly to a blame-game. The science behind AMR (anti-microbial resistance, which covers resistance in bacteria, viruses and parasites) has a very simple basis though – simple Darwinian selection at its ruthless best.

Working for a global pharmaceutical company that makes the main 3 animal drench chemicals amongst other antimicrobials, I spend a lot of my time following research on AMR, supporting field trials that clarify practical aspects of parasite control, and trying to apply scientific and clinical principles to the opinions that surround this topic.

I look forward to some robust discussion on this topic!