Microscopic Story 1: Petri dish display
This story introduces the visitor to bacteria on a direct and personal level, explaining that trillions of mostly harmless bacteria live on and in the human body. The section includes a ‘zoo’ of bacteria selected from the WHO’s watch list of bacteria that are threats to human health.
In addition, plates of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) were each displayed with a disk of methicillin at the centre of the plate. The inclusion of these petri dishes demonstrated bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics, thus showing a true superbug.
A digital interactive was developed for display alongside the petri dishes. It briefly defines antibiotics, shows how they affect bacteria, and how bacteria develop resistance.
Microscopic Story 2: Penicillin
This story contains four objects: Penicillium, an image of penicillin production, packaging of penicillin from the 1940s, and another package of penicillin from 2017. The intention of the historic and modern packaging is to demonstrate that the same product being produced in the 1940s and today.
In addition to these objects, a sound station plays a 30 second clip of Alexander Fleming warning about the development of antibiotic resistance.
Microscopic Story 3: Microscopic ‘Heroes’
This story features three scenes depicting ways in which bacterial biology is being manipulated to treat bacterial infections. It looks at three areas of research: bdellovibio bacteriovorus, bacteriophages, and Structurally Nano-engineered Antimicrobial Polypeptide Polymers (SNAPPs).
Bdellovibrio Bacteriovorus is a species of bacteria that consumes other bacteria. As of 2017, it is being used in animal trials as an experimental treatment for specific infections.
Bacteriophages are viruses that are used by bacteria to send strands of DNA to one another as a form of attack or communication. Bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) have been studied and used in human treatments for decades, especially in the East during the Cold War, as resources for studying ‘traditional’ antibiotics were scarce.
SNAPPs are synthetic peptides first developed in 2016 at the University of Melbourne. They mimic natural peptides (short proteins that are the basis for simple immune systems) that latch on to and shred bacteria. Although this research is very new and the process has not been properly observed, SNAPPs are currently being used in experiments on mice with positive results.
None of these scenes contain objects, but there are short videos of B bacteriovorus and bacteriophages to include in the display.
