Question

Respond to the items below.

1. Explain the role of horizontal gene transfer (conjugation, transformation, and transduction) in contributing to the spread of drug resistant microbes.  
2. Describe the four common mechanisms of antimicrobial drug resistance used by bacteria and give an example of each.
3. Will developing new antibiotics stop the problem of drug resistant microbes? How high of a priority is this for the scientific research community?

Answer 1

1. Horizontal gene transfer contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistance through the exchange of genetic material (through conjugation, transformation and transduction) across genera, which increases the potential for a harmful, antibiotic resistant bacteria to develop.
2. Antibiotic resistance can be caused by four general mechanisms (inactivation, alteration of the target, circumvention of the target pathway or efflux of the antibiotic) and bacteria can develop resistance by mutating existing genes, or by acquiring new genes from other strains or species.
3. New antibiotics can decrease the problem of drug resistant microbes, Antibiotic resistance does not mean the body is becoming resistant to antibiotics; it is that bacteria have become resistant to the antibiotics designed to kill them.
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