2.16 Antibiotic Resistance

Question 1

How does drug resistance happen? (3)

Answer 1

• If you have a colony of bacteria in your body which causes you to have a sore throat and a headache, you may go the doctor and get antibiotics prescribed
• Bacteria sometimes develop random mutations in their DNA which can change their characteristics and occasionally it can result to the bacteria being less affected by the antibiotic (resistant)
• The resistant bacteria can quickly form a new colony as the other bacteria has been killed, eliminating competition

Question 2

When drug resistance occurs, what is the new colony of resistant bacteria called?

Answer 2

Antibiotic-resistant strain

Question 3

How can you pass on this antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria to other people? (2)

Answer 3

• Because the antibiotics you’re using aren’t effective anymore, you’re still infected and can pass it on to others
• When they go to the doctor and get prescribed the same antibiotic, it wont work. They’ll have to go back to the doctor and get given another antibiotic. For most people this new antibiotic will work however sometimes the bacteria still lingers as it has become resistant to the new antibiotic

Question 4

What is a superbug?

Answer 4

A bacteria that has become resistant to many different types of antibiotic and they aren’t effective anymore

Question 5

What is an example of a superbug?

Answer 5

MRSA

Question 6

Why is MRSA common? (2)

Answer 6

• Because its resistance makes it so hard to kill
• Often affects people in hospital where it can be fatal

Question 7

Why is it important to take antibiotics for the full length of time you have been prescribed?

Answer 7

• It’s actually uncommon for bacteria to develop resistance and when they do, it’s usually only ‘partial resistance’ so by completing the course of antibiotics, the bacteria will be killed

Question 8

How do doctors give out antibiotics where they wont help? (2)

Answer 8

• Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed to people with viral illnesses, and antibiotics wont kill viruses
• They give them for non-serious cases such as a tummy bug

Question 9

Why do farmers give antibiotics to farm animals and what is the consequence of this? (2)

Answer 9

• They give them in the food of healthy animals to prevent them getting ill in the first place
• To make them grow faster
• This results in farms being a ‘breeding ground’ for antibiotic resistance

Question 10

Give 3 reasons antibiotic resistance is becoming more common

Answer 10

• Doctors often prescribe antibiotics in cases where they aren’t necessary. For example, mild or viral infections
• Many people don’t take the full course of antibiotics, so not all the bacteria are killed
• Huge amounts of antibiotics are given to farm animals in order to make them grow faster

Question 11

Why is the spread of antibiotic resistance a problem? (2)

Answer 11

• If more bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, we won’t be able to treat those infections
• This means more people will die of bacterial infections