With every new antibiotic medication that comes into existence human beings are better able to fight back disease. They have an increased chance at handling more secondary infections that crop up because of a weakened immune system and an overall better chance at good health. Did you ever stop to think about how these antibiotics came into existence?

Here is an overview of the process as it is currently being conducted at the University at Buffalo where researchers report that they have managed to turn E. coli into tiny factories for producing new forms of the popular antibiotic erythromycin.

The researchers are tending to colonies of the bacteria Escherichia coli (or E. coli as it better known). They are actually producing antibiotics including three which were shown in the lab to kill drug-resistant bacteria. Just like a farmer tending to the animals on his farm, the researchers tend to the E.Coli in hopes of creating antibiotics which can be better than before.

This is the first time that E. Coli has been used as the base for antibiotics. Before this other bacteria were manipulated into forming antibiotics which could be used for the benefit of human beings. These ongoing science projects are caused as bacteria tends to weed out the weak and become resistant to new strains of antibiotics. So it is an ongoing race between humans and bacteria to see who can come up with the stronger strain.