B6 Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (page 80)

Question 1

What Antibiotics was a huge discovery for medicine and why?

Answer 1

Antibiotics like Penicillin. Bacterial infections that had often been fatal could be cured.

(but unfortunately they might not be a permenent solution).

Question 2

Whycan Antibiotics become resistant against Bacteria?

Answer 2

Bacteria can Evlove and become antibiotic-resistant.

Question 3

Like all organisms, bacteria sometimes develop what in their DNA?

Answer 3

random mutations (changes)

Question 4

What do random mutations in bacteria mean?

Answer 4

It means they can lead to changes in the bacteria’s characteristics, e.g. being less affected by a particular antibiotic.

This can lead to antibiotic-resistant strains forming.

Question 5

How do bacteria become less resistant to antibiotics?

Answer 5

the gene for antibiotic resistance becomes more common in the population - this is because of natural selection - see page 76.

Question 6

How do bacteria resistant strains from antibiotic make matters worse for us?

Answer 6

because bacteria are so rapid at reproducing, they can evolve quite quickly.

Question 7

For the bacterium, the ability to resist antibiotis is a big advantage, why?

Answer 7

it’s better able to survive, even in a host who’s being treated to get rid of the infection, and so it lives for longer and reproduces many more times.

(This increases the population size of the antibiotic-resistant strain).

Question 8

Why is it a problem if someone becomes infected with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacterium?

Answer 8

because they aren’t immune to the new strain and there is no effective treatment. This means that the infection easily spreads between people.

Question 9

Sometimes drug companies can come up with a new antibiotic that’s effective, but not always, why?

Answer 9

as superbugs that are resistant to most known antibiotics are becoming more common.

Question 10

What is a superbug?

Answer 10

a super bug which is common is MRSA, it is really hard to get rid of. It often effects people in hospitals and can be fatal if it enters their bloodstream.

(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aures)

Question 11

For the last few decades we’ve been able to deal with bacterial infections pretty easily using what?

Answer 11

Antibiotics.

The death rate from infectious bacterial diseases (e.g. pneumonia) has fallen dramatically.

Question 12

Is the problem of antibiotic resistance getting better or worse and why?

Answer 12

it is getting worse - partly because of the overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics.

e.g. doctors prescribing them for non-serious conditions or infections caused by viruses.

Question 13

What is the problem if we continue to use antibiotics for many infections?

Answer 13

The more often antibiotics are used, the bigger the problem of antibiotic resistnce becomes, so it’s important that doctors only prescribe antibiotics when they really need to.

Question 14

It’s not that antibiotics cause resistance, they create a situation where naturally reisitant bacteria have an advantage or disadvantage?

Answer 14

they have an advantage and so increase in numbers.

Question 15

Why is it important that you take ALL the antibiotics a doctors prescribes for you?

Answer 15

By taking the FULL COURSE makes sure that all the bacteria are destroyed, which means that there are none left to mutate and develop into antibiotic-resistant strains.

Question 16

In farming, antibiotics can be given to animals, why?

Answer 16

to prevent them becoming ill and to make them grow faster.

Question 17

Giving animals antibiotics can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and can spread to humans, give an example how this happens?

Answer 17

e.g. during meat preparation and consumption.

Increasing concern about the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture has led to some countries restricting their use.

Question 18

The increase in antibiotic resistance has encouraged drug companies to work on what?

Answer 18

developing NEW antibiotics that are effective against the resistant strains.

Question 19

Why is it hard for drug companies to keep up with developing new antibiotics that are effective against resistant strains?

Answer 19

Unfortunately the rate of development is slow, which means we’re unlikely to be able to keep up with the demand for new drugs as more antibiotic-resistant strains develop and spread. And it’s also a very costly process.

Question 20

Microorganisms that are resistant to all our drugs are a worrying thought, why?

Answer 20

as it would be like goinb back in time to before antibiotics were invented.

Question 21

Suggest a situation where antibiotics could be prescribed inappropriately? (1 mark)

Answer 21

Any one from:

when the illness is only minor.
where the infection is being caused by a virus (1 mark)

Question 22

Explain why it’s important that people take the full course of antibiotics they are prescribed (1 mark).

Answer 22

Taking the complete course makes sure that all the bacteria are destroyed (1 mark). This means that there are non left to nutate and develop into antibiotic-resistant strains (1 mark).