Microbial Printmaking for Teaching Antimicrobial Action and Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is among the most pressing health threats globally, prompting the call for urgent actions, including education on this topic. In this direction, engaging teaching activities applicable to a broad audience are required. Here, we describe a visually attractive and didactic agar art experience to teach about microbial proliferation, antimicrobial action, and resistance. This activity is based on executing a simple printmaking method named “microbegraphy” using pigmented microbes as inks and antimicrobial solutions to block their growth, producing printable-on-paper images. We successfully implemented this experience for high school students who learned basic microbiology work and evidenced the microbial growth inhibition due to the antimicrobials, creating custom images. Moreover, the occasional growth of colonies in areas where antimicrobials were applied was used to tempt the possible occurrence of resistance and inspired a more general discussion about the importance of microbes and antimicrobials in health and disease.