antibiotic resistance

• Antibiotic resistance

  When bacteria evolve to become able to survive exposure to antibiotics, we say that they have developed Antibiotic resistance
• Describe in detail how antibiotic resistance arises.

  A population of a bacteria infect somebody

  That person takes antibiotics to kill the bacteria

  Some bacteria have a random mutation that makes them less susceptible to the antibiotic than others

  The antibiotics kill all the bacteria except those that are resistant

  The resistance strains of bacteria now have more resources to grow and multiply 

  More mutations may arise, leading to greater resistance

  There is now a strain of bacteria that can't be killed by antibiotics, which we call antibiotic resistance
• To reduce the rise and spread of antibiotic resistance, should we increase or decrease the use of antibiotics?

  Decrease use
• Are antibiotics effective at treating viral diseases?

  Antibiotics only kill bacteria, not viruses. 
• If we want to reduce the rise and spread of antibiotic resistance, should doctors prescribe antibiotics for mild bacterial infections?

  no

  Our bodies can generally fight mild bacterial infections themselves, so we don't really need antibiotics. 
• Should you take the whole course of antibiotics, or stop taking them once you feel better?


  Take the full course

  It is important to take the full course so that they can kill all of the bacteria. 
• Give 3 reasons antibiotic resistance is becoming more common.

  • Doctors often prescribe antibiotics in cases where they aren't necessary. For example, mild or viral infections
  • Many people don't take the full course of antibiotics, so not all the bacteria are killed
  • Huge amounts of antibiotics are given to farm animals in order to make them grow faster
• Why is the spread of antibiotic resistance a problem?

  • If more bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, we won't be able to treat those infections 
  • This means more people will die of bacterial infections