Question

Many bacteria are found to become resistant to a number of antibiotics simultaneously. This means that

• A. Resistance is an acquired trait
• B. Resistance to multiple antibiotics can be exchanged as a single unit
• C. Multiple mutations can occur at a higher frequency
• D. All antibiotics can be countered by a single resistance factor

Answer 1

The correct option is B Resistance to multiple antibiotics can be exchanged as a single unit

Antibiotics are the medicine that fight bacterial infection. Antibiotics have revolutionized medicines, but its over use and misuse have led the bacteria to evolve and be resistant to the antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats in global health today. Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, but misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is accelerating the process. It occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of the antibiotics repeatedly.

Nowadays, many bacteria are found to be resistant to a number of antibiotics simultaneously; it is so because the resistance factor that is exchanged as a single unit, such as a plasmid or a fragment of the bacterial chromosome by gene exchange process like conjugation, transformation or transduction.

It is not possible for a bacteria to counter all antibiotics with a single resistance factor; different antibiotics have different modes of action and are countered accordingly.