3. 2. 3 - Evolutionary race between pathogens and medicines Flashcards

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1
Q

Why do medicines we develop to destroy pathogens quickly become ineffective?

A
  • due to mutation, adaptation and natural selection of pathogens
  • pathogens are in an evolutionary race against us and medicine we create to treat the disease they cause

Pathogens = disease causing organism

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2
Q

What does it mean for a bacteria to become resistant?

A

The bacteria will not be affected by an antibiotic

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3
Q

What is the evolutionary race between medicine and pathogens?

A
  • penicillin was discovered to treat bacterial pathogens
  • penicillin didn’t kill all types of bacteria
  • many bacteria had become resistant to penicillin within a year of the medicine being prescribed
  • natural selection: those bacteria became prevalent and bacterial infections were no longer affected by penicillin
  • produced a new antibiotic called methicillin
  • then methicillin resistant bacteria soon spread through bacterial populations
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4
Q

Apply GENIE to bacteria becoming resistant

A

Genetic variation: some bacteria in the population include mutation
Environmental change: antibiotics taken —> environment changes
Natural selection: bacteria with the resistant mutation gene are more likely to survive (better at coping with the change)
Inheritance: these bacteria reproduce causing the new generation to inherit the advantageous resistant mutation allele
Evolution: if the environment remains unchanged —> natural selection will occur over and over again —> new species evolved with all the individuals having the better adapted variation

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5
Q

What are the factors that contribute to antibiotics being a problem in the future?

A
  • antibiotics are too widely prescribed and used
  • people do not complete courses of antibiotics —> makes it easier for resistance to develop
  • some countries —> antibiotics are widely used in the food chain
  • lack of hygiene encourages the spread of antibiotic resistant organisms
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6
Q

How can we overcome the problems of resistance?

A
  • reduce the use of antibiotics
  • better educate people so they understand they do not always need antibiotics
  • reduce the use of antibiotics in farm animals
  • DNA sequencing will help to identify bacteria and find new ways of targeting them with drugs
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