Contents
Key Stage 4
Meaning
Antibiotic resistance is the tendency of bacterial colonies to become immune to the use of antibiotics.
About Antibiotic Resistance
- Antibiotic resistance is evidence for evolution by natural selection.
The process of antibiotic resistance of a colony of bacteria takes place over several generations.
- Antibiotics are used to kill a colony of bacteria.
- Bacteria within the colony are all slightly different due to genetic variation so a few may not be affected by the antibiotic.
- Some bacteria survive the antibiotic due to a number of reasons, but a proportion of those is due to a variation that has made them resistant.
- In the next generation there will be many more resistant bacteria since the others have died and cannot reproduce.
- When antibiotics are used again this removes all of the non-resistant bacteria leaving behind an entire colony of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
- As a result of evolution many disease causing bacteria can no longer be treated with common antibiotics.
- Doctors are concerned that if common Pathogenic Bacteria become antibiotic resistant then many diseases may become untreatable and thousands could die.
Reducing the Chances of Antibiotic Resistance
There are a number of precautions we can take to reduce the chance of Pathogenic Bacteria gaining antibiotic resistance. These include:
- Only giving antibiotics for serious infections that are known to be caused by Pathogenic Bacteria.
- Increased hygiene in hospitals.
- Quarantine people with antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.
- Stop using antibiotics on livestock.
Examples
- MRSA - Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus are a strain of bacteria which is not affected by a common antibiotic known as Methicillin.
- Super Gonorrhea - This sexually transmitted disease is resistant to many common antibiotics.