RCSI's MiniMed Open Lecture Series 2014/15 came to a close on Wednesday, 25 March with a dynamic double lecture on the topic of superbugs and antibiotic resistance titled ‘Have the superbugs won or can we still preserve antibiotics for the next generation?'

The talk was delivered by Dr Fidelma Fitzpatrick, RCSI Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology and Consultant Microbiologist in Beaumont Hospital and Dr Nuala O'Connor, a General Practitioner, who is the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) Lead Advisor on Antibiotic Resistance.

The lecture details the discovery and introduction of antibiotics - then hailed as ‘miracle drugs’, right through to their overuse which led to the rise in antibiotic resistance bacteria ‘the superbugs' both nationally and internationally.

In this video, Drs Fitzpatrick and O'Connor will outline how antibiotics have transformed modern medicine and how antibiotic resistance occurs and spreads. They will bring the public on an A-Z tour of the different types of superbugs as well as explaining the threat of a return to the pre-antibiotic era if the superbugs win.

In the video, both speakers will also offer advice on appropriate use of antibiotics as well as practical tips that will stop the spread of superbugs and help decrease reliance on antibiotics. This lecture brought a close to the 2015/15 series. Another lecture series will recommence in the autumn of 2015.