Why Antibiotics Lose Power
Written by Studio AM.
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An antibiotic can change which bacteria survive. Some bacteria carry genes that protect them from a particular drug. When that drug kills or slows susceptible bacteria, resistant ones may survive and multiply. This is selection: the population changes because some cells cope better with the conditions.
Resistance genes can arise through mutations or arrive from other bacteria. They do not appear because a cell decides it needs protection. Some are present before treatment; new genetic changes and gene transfers can also occur as populations continue growing.
Two features can help resistance spread. Some bacteria reproduce rapidly under favourable conditions, passing resistance genes to their descendants. Bacteria can also transfer genetic material between cells. For example, a small DNA loop called a plasmid may carry a resistance gene into another bacterium, sometimes of a different species.
Antibiotic use therefore creates selection pressure. Unnecessary treatment can favour resistant bacteria without helping the illness being treated. Antibiotics, for example, do not treat the viruses that cause colds. This does not make antibiotics useless: they remain important treatments for bacterial infections. Using them appropriately helps preserve that benefit.
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Questions
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Question 1 of 4
Which statement best captures the passage's central claim?
The answer is C: Antibiotics can favour resistant bacteria, and genes help that resistance spread.
The passage explains both selection during antibiotic exposure and the inheritance or transfer of resistance genes.
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Question 2 of 4
How can a resistance gene reach bacteria of a different species?
The answer is A: A small loop of DNA can move from one cell into another.
A plasmid can carry a resistance gene into another cell, sometimes across species. Transfer is different from inheritance through reproduction.
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Question 3 of 4
Why can an unnecessary antibiotic for a cold cause problems?
The answer is B: It does not treat the virus but may favour resistant bacteria.
The drug does not treat a cold virus. It can still affect bacteria, creating conditions in which resistant ones have an advantage.
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Question 4 of 4
What does 'pressure' mean in the discussion of antibiotic resistance?
The answer is D: conditions that give resistant bacteria an advantage over susceptible ones
The antibiotic kills or slows susceptible bacteria while resistant ones may survive. That difference changes the population.
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