discussion post

For many years, antibiotics have been effectively used to treat bacterial disease.

A growing concern for treating bacterial diseases is the evolution of antibiotic resistance by bacterial populations. Resistance means that a particular antibiotic is no longer effective in treating a disease. This resistance can be viewed as evolution of a new trait at the population level, which is resistance to an antibiotic.

Focus your discussion on 1 of the following topics:

• The use, overuse, and abuse of antibiotics are accredited with creating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Explain how this relates to natural selection.
• Using a credible source, describe at least 2 of the things that people do (you can include individuals, doctors, health care professionals, hospitals, farmers, and so on) that contribute to this problem. Explain.
• Are there things that you can personally do to reduce your risk or even to reduce the spread of these dangerous microbes?