How does antibiotic resistance relate to evolution?

Antibiotics are used to treat various diseases and ailments by targetting the bacteria which cause said diseases. Bacteria are subject to natural selection and evolution like any other organism. Random mutation will always occur in individual bacteria cells, and some of these mutations will be helpful in protecting the bacteria from the effects of the antibiotic. The bacteria cells which do not possess such mutations will not be protected, and therefore if the antibiotic is present they will die and fail to reproduce. The cells with the mutation will then have less competition and will reproduce more, and overtime this will result in the evolution of the bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotic.

SH
Answered by Syed Hadi T. Biology tutor

6338 Views

See similar Biology GCSE tutors

Related Biology GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is diffusion and why is it important in both animals and plants?


What factors contribute to phenotypic variation between organisms?


Describe the structure of a human heart and how this enables it to bring blood carrying oxygen to the tissues of the body


Explain the difference in function of auxins in plant shoots and roots.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences