Base
your answer to question 1 on the information below and
on your knowledge of biology.
“Bacterial resistance to antibiotic treatment is
becoming an increasing problem for the medical
community. It is estimated that 70% of bacteria that
cause infections in hospitals are resistant to at least
one of the drugs used for treatment. Dangerous strains
of tuberculosis (TB) have emerged that are resistant to
several major antibiotic drugs. While drug-resistant TB
is generally treatable, it requires much longer
treatments with several antibiotics that are very
expensive.”
1.
Explain the loss of effectiveness of antibiotic drugs.
In your explanation, be sure to:
•
identify the genetic event that resulted in the original
antibiotic resistance in some strains of bacteria [1]
•
explain how the overuse of antibiotics can increase
bacterial resistance [1]
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2.
Staphylococcus aureus
is a type of bacterium
that lives on the skin and in the nostrils of most
people. Generally, it is controlled by the immune system
of the body. Occasionally, the antibiotic penicillin is
needed to control the bacterium. However, some strains
of S. aureus have a resistance to penicillin,
which makes them hard to kill and infections difficult
to cure. Explain how the resistance to penicillin
affects the S. aureus population. In your answer,
be sure to include an explanation of:
• how
the exposure to penicillin affects the survival of some
bacteria in the population [1]
• why
the frequency of penicillin-resistant bacteria can
change over time within the population [1]
• how
it is still possible to cure patients who are infected
with penicillin-resistant bacteria [1]
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