Some bacteria create protective shields that resist a thousand times more antibiotics
Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria can build sophisticated biological fortresses called biofilms that allow them to survive antibiotic doses a thousand times stronger than usual.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a master of defense, using polysaccharide capsules to evade the immune system with 90% effectiveness. When these bacteria reach a density of 100 million cells per milliliter, they use quorum sensing to coordinate the creation of biofilms. These protective shields make the bacteria up to 1,000 times more resistant to traditional antibiotics.
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