Abstract

Antibiotics are a special category of drugs that help treat bacterial infections by killing bacteria or hindering their growth and replication. Antibiotics are greatly significant in modern medical practices, providing an effective treatment for bacterial infections as well as enabling organ transplants, open surgeries, and chemotherapy to be possible. Unfortunately, cases of antibiotic resistance were observed shortly after the introduction of antibiotics. The appearance and spread of these resistant strains poses a significant threat to public health safety. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates there are 2,868,700 antibiotic-resistant bacterial and fungal infection cases per year in the United States, of which 35,900 cases will result in death. Horizontal gene transfer is an important mechanism facilitating the spread of resistance genes between colonies of unrelated bacteria. One such bacterial genus known for resistance to antibiotic treatment and capable of horizontal gene transfer is Neisseria, which will be the bacterial subject for this animation project. This paper will outline the complete process behind the production of this animation, including the background research on the project, writing of the script, modeling process, storyboarding, animation process, and final composition of the entire piece. The final four-minute-long animation will introduce horizontal gene transfer and how it correlates with the issue of antibiotic resistance, focusing on the two main mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer observed in Neisseria.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Neisseria--Interactive multimedia--Design; Drug resistance in microorganisms--Interactive multimedia--Design; Genetic transformation--Interactive multimedia--Design

Publication Date

3-9-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Medical Illustration(MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Medical Illustration

College

College of Health Sciences and Technology

Advisor

Craig Foster

Advisor/Committee Member

James Perkins

Advisor/Committee Member

Crista Wadsworth

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

ILLM-MFA

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