Question

Why does infectious bacteria show no resistance to antibiotics when first used?

In the in the early 40's, bacteria that were treated using antibiotics showed no resistance, why?

I'm thinking that the answer is somewhere along the lines of this:

Antibiotics weren't being over used and had been just introduced at the time, so the bacteria hadn't had a chance to mutate yet to become resistant. Hence, the bacteria wasn't resistant and the antibiotics were successful in eliminating them.

Am I right? Or just overly confused?

Answer 1

yes u r ri8!

Answer 2

partially ur ans is right but not fully smthing is missing

Answer 3

Okay, yeah that's what I though because all of my other answers on my assignment are half a paragraph wrong, but this is all I could come up for this question. I dont know how I can expand this.

Answer 4

long, not wrong***

Answer 5

your correct somewhat.


Antibiotic resistant is simlar to neck of giraffe.
giraffe long lenth have better survial so in natral selection procedur they got chosen.
similarly bacteria with antibiotic resisten will got chose by use of antibiotic.

Initially some bacteria found to be resistent to simngle kind of antibioic. so medic use combination of them. Now you will find some strain which are resistant to almost all antibiotics.

Answer 6

actually first u should know dat wat actaully antibiotics do in bacteria thats the key point for me it too long to read so dont remember correctly handed @blues

Answer 7

come up with*** wow Sorry guys, super tired today. I barely slept last night so I'm majoprly tired

Answer 8

@adeshshendge I didnt even think about that. Thank you.
@heena Well the purpose of an antibiotic is to kill the harmful bacteria of course but then when you dont take a full usage of it, some harmful bacteria can get left behind in your body and then mutate and become resistant in the future.

Answer 9

u knw its not necceary dat all bacterias are killed by antibiotic dat y i said i have to go through my previous den i ll ans acc to ur need ok

Answer 10

@shay88 dear please clear your basic....

Answer 11

Wait what? Now I'm confused because this was all I was taught about antibiotics.

Answer 12

how many types of antibiotics? mode of action?

Answer 13

I didnt know there was different types of antibiotics and I really havent been taught much about antibiotics yet. Just that the purpose is to kill harmful bacteria but that due to overuse and abuse of antibiotics, it has caused bacteria to be resistant in some cases. And then the example that we were given was of a strand of TB, found in India, that is completely resistant to all antibiotics because you can buy prescription drugs over the counter there.

Answer 14

That's pretty much all of it.

Answer 15

We just started this new unit, and were given a case study about TB and this was one of the questions that I really didnt know how to answer much more than what I said because we obviously havent been taught much yet,

Answer 16

The question and the answers here are all very good.

Antibiotics work - that is, they kill bacterial cells without harming human cells - because they target molecular processes that bacterial cells have but human cells don't. The textbook example is peptidoglycan synthesis which is necessary for the cell walls of some disease causing bacteria but which human cells do not have. There are many different antibiotics with many different modes of action, but that is the gist common to all of them: they stop processes which happen only in bacterial cells.

When a strain of bacteria acquires a mutation which changes the biologic process on which the antibiotic acts, the drug no longer works so the bacteria becomes resistant. Mutations are acquired randomly. Almost all mutations do not lead to resistance - they either have no effect on the biologic process which the antibiotic inhibits or they are bad for the bacteria and kill it. But every once in a while, a mutation enables a single bacteria to somehow evade the antibiotic.

This single bacteria has a competitive advantage on all the other bacteria around it: it duplicates and duplicates because not only does the antibiotic not kill it, it kills all the non-resistant bacteria which leaves more resources available for the resistant bacteria to use.

At that point, the doctors/scientists come up with a new antibiotic which targets some other property of the resistant bacteria and which can kill it. And the same thing happens - specifically, eventually a single bacteria acquires a second mutation which makes it resistant to both antibiotics.

It turns out that some social factors influence antibiotic resistance: people who don't take their full course of antibiotics enable bacteria which otherwise would have been killed to survive. Also, the more often antibiotics are used (and they are grossly over prescribed for reasons to do with drug companies overselling their products and people wanting to be cured instantly with pills) the more likely it is that resistant strains will evolve.

Clear?

Answer 17

YES! Thank you! That is a great explanation. I was trying to convey that that is exactly what was taught but as you could see, I was having a hard time explaining it. . Thanks you so much for taking the time to give such an in depth explanation.

Answer 18

Sure, not a prob. :D

Answer 19

Have a look on google for the 5 targets of antibiotics, some target ours etc etc
Its kinda like the invention of the bullet, we adapt with the bullet proof vest for protection etc etc etc