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SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 2
LIFE OF MICROBES
Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve in a way that reduces or eliminates the
effectiveness of antibiotics. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics has led to a dramatic increase
in the incidence of antibiotic resistance. Some pathogens are now resistant to more than one
type of antibiotic. This means that many easily treatable diseases are now becoming untreatable.
1. Describe why the misuse and over use of antibiotics is a problem. 


2. Explain how not taking all of the antibiotics pills prescribed by a doctor can lead to an
increase in the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria. 







3. Outline what would happen if a patient was prescribed an antibiotic to treat a bacterial
infection, but the bacteria was resistant to that antibiotic. 


4. State whether you think the use of antibacterial soaps containing antibiotics is a good
idea. Justify your answer. 


How Bacteria Become Resistant to Antibiotics
Within the population of bacteria, an
individual has a mutation that gives
them some resistance to a particular
antibiotic.
The patient starts feeling better
and so stops taking the antibiotics.
Continued use would likely have
killed the mutant bacteria.
Antibiotics quickly kill the bacteria
that don’t carry the mutation.
However, the bacteria that carry the
mutation survive.
A person infected with the
bacteria is prescribed antibiotics to
eliminate the infection.
The resistant bacteria are able
to thrive without competition,
producing even more bacteria
that are resistant to the antibiotic.
Antibiotic-resistance within the
bacteria population increases.
Antibiotics that were effective
may become useless in controlling
infections.
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