GCSE Biology (Pearson IGCSE)

Topic Summaries

Evolution and natural selection

Solving antibiotic resistance

  • Bacteria reproduce at a fast rate so can evolve rapidly, and mutations of bacterial pathogens produce new strains. Some strains might be resistant to antibiotics, so they survive and reproduce, increasing the population of resistant strains (e.g. MRSA).
  • To reduce the rate of development of antibiotic-resistant strains, doctors should not prescribe antibiotics inappropriately, such as treating non-serious or viral infections. Patients should always complete their course of antibiotics so that all bacteria are killed and none survive to mutate and form resistant strains, and the agricultural use of antibiotics should be restricted.

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