4.6.3.7 Resistant bacteria

Question 1

How can bacteria evolve rapidly?

Answer 1

• They reproduce a fast rate

Question 2

What do mutations of bacterial pathogens produce?

Answer 2

• New strains
• Some strains might be resistant to antibiotics and so are not killed
• They survive and reproduce so the population of the resistance stain rises
• The resistant strain will then spread because people are not immune to it and there is no effective treatment

Question 3

What is MRSA?

Answer 3

• Resistant to antibiotics

Question 4

What do we do to reduce the rate of development of antibiotic resistance strains?

Answer 4

• Doctors should not prescribe antibiotics inappropriately such as treating non serious or viral infections
• The patient should complete their course of antibiotics so all bacteria are killed and none survived to mutate and form resistant strains
• The agricultural use of antibiotics should be restricted

Question 5

What is happening with the development of new antibiotics?

Answer 5

• It is costly and slow and unlikely to keep up with the emergence of new resistance strains