Evolutionary Pressure - Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic Resistance

Drug resistance in bacteria is an example of the outcome of natural selection. When a drug is used on a species of bacteria, those that cannot resist die and do not produce offspring, while those that survive potentially pass on the resistance gene to the next generation. Because of this, the drug resistance increases over generations. Antibiotic resistance is made worse by the misuse of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is encouraged when antibiotics are used to treat non-bacterial diseases, and when antibiotics are not used for the prescribed amount of time or in the prescribed dose.