There are many antibiotics that target the bacterial cell wall, but there are few antibiotics that target the cell membrane. Why might this be so?

Transfer of resistance to a new family of antimicrobial agents from one strain to another s following a  genetic mechanisms? 1) Conjugation 2) Transduction 3) Transformation 4) Transposition 5) Recombination

How long does a bacterial infection last without antibiotics?

Why are bacteria referred to as pathogens?

You are designing a phage therapy for a cystic fibrosis patient with an multi-antibiotic resistant Mycobacterium infection. The Mycobacterium infection is preventing the patient from taking immunosuppressant drugs that are needed for a successful lung transplant. The idea is that introducing the right phage to the patient will kill the Mycobacterium cells and allow the patient to go on immunosuppressant drugs that will ensure the new lung is not rejected by the body.  You need to find a phage that infects the Mycobacterium you isolated from the patient. Which TWO options have the highest chance of success? A. Screening a colleague's library of known Mycobacterium phages for phage that infect the patient's Mycobacterium isolate   b. Choosing likely candidates from analysis of phage 16S rRNA phylogeny in the tree of life   C. Isolating new phage from soil using a plaque assay with the Mycobacterium isolate   D. Obtaining a very well-studied phage, such as T4 bacteriophage, that…

In 1928, British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming made an accidental discovery. He noticed that a fungus had contaminated one of the agar plates he had streaked with a bacterial species to be studied. The fungus prevented the bacteria from growing in the immediate area surrounding the fungus. Upon further investigation, Fleming found that the fungus produced a substance that was the agent responsible for killing the bacteria. He called this substance penicillin. Given this information, which statement best explains why Fleming's discovery is relevant to the general public today? O Fleming's attention to detail diverted his efforts to investigate bacteria and likely robbed humanity of important discoveries that he would have otherwise made. Fleming's sloppiness in the lab serves as a reminder to all researchers that sterile technique is critical to preventing unwanted fungal growth on bacterial plates. Fleming's discovery enabled the development of chemical substances as antibiotics to…

A patient admitted to the hospital for fever and coughing is diagnosed with an active tuberculosis infection, and is treated with an antibiotic named rifampin. The antibiotics seemed successful, and his subsequent tests for tuberculosis came back negative. However, he was re-admitted to the hospital two months later with similar symptoms, was treated with rifampin again, and died of respiratory failure shortly thereafter. It was concluded that he had been infected with an antibiotic-resistant strain of M. tuberculosis. Does this situation meet the criteria for evolution by natural selection? Briefly explain how each of Darwin’s postulates is met/not met:   a. Individuals in a population vary in traits.   b. Traits are heritable.   c. More offspring are produced than can survive, and only some individuals survive and reproduce.   d. Individuals with certain heritable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than others.

A great concern in hospitals is the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria to generate "superbugs". What are the major mechanisms that antibiotic resistance genes may be spread from one bacterium to another? Describe all possible mechanisms.

What is the best explanation for why a bacteriostatic treatment might be chosen over a bacteriocidal treatment? Bacteriostatic treatments will eliminate all bacteria while bacteriocidal treatments will only eliminate a portion of the bacteria. Bacteriostatic treatments typically have lower toxicity to the host when compared to bacteriocidal treatments. Bacteriostatic treatments will prevent all bacterial growth, while bacteriocidal treatments will permit some bacterial growth. Bacteriostatic treatments are typically more costly than bacteriocidal treatments.