Chapter 6, Problem 1CS

Summary Introduction

To determine:

Whether the physician is correct in saying that the bacteria can share the resistance.

Introduction:

A 4-month-old infant has been suffering from a moderate fever for 36 hours. The examination and the testing showed that there is no noticeable signs of infection or cause of the fever. Before making a decision about antibiotics, the pediatrician observed the infant for two days. The pediatrician explained that the extensive use of antibiotics for decades in medicine and agriculture resulted in the development of drug-resistant bacteria. The pediatrician also added that the reproductive behavior of bacteria helps them to exchange the antibiotic resistance traits with other-disease causing bacteria. As a result, several strains now became resistant to multiple antibiotics.