Bacteria can Evolve and Become Antibiotic-Resistant Flashcards
What can bacteria sometimes develop?
Random mutations in their DNA
What can this lead to?
Changes in the bacteria’s characteristics
Sometime, they mean that a bacterium is…
Less affected by a particular antibiotic
How does being able to resist antibiotics a big advantage for the bacterium?
It’s better able to survive, even in a host who’s being treated, so it loves for longer and reproduces many more times
This leads to the gene for resistance being…
Passed on to lots of offspring - just natural selection
This is how it spreads and…
Becomes more common in a population of bacteria over time
Why is this a problem for people who become infected with these bacteria?
You can’t easily get rid of them with antibiotics
What are ‘superbugs’ becoming?
More resistant to most know antibiotics and are becoming more common
