Question

Please help me, i will give medals for all answers. What are antibiotic resistant bacteria? How are we making them?

Answer 1

Antibiotic bacteria have acquired the ability to digest / metabolize / break down antibiotics which normally stop them growing. They come about through selection ie they are present in an environment which contains the antibiotic and once they have the resistance gene they have a selective advantage over the other bacteria so they can become the dominant bacteria in the environment. The resistance genes are usually spread between bacteria via plasmids, which are extrachromosomal elements which can be passed on. Examples of resistance genes include the beta lactamases, some of which can break down penicillin and ampicillin