Concept explainers
CASE STUDY |To treat or not to treat
A 4-month-old infant had been running a moderate fever for 36 hours, and a nervous mother made a call to her pediatrician. Examination and testing revealed no outward signs of infection or cause of the fever. The anxious mother asked the pediatrician about antibiotics, but the pediatrician recommended watching the infant carefully for two days before making a decision. He explained that decades of rampant use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture had caused a worldwide surge in bacteria that are now resistant to such drugs. He also said that the reproductive behavior of bacteria allows them to exchange antibiotic resistance traits with a wide range of other disease-causing bacteria, and that many strains are now resistant to multiple antibiotics. The physician's information raises several interesting questions.
Was the physician correct in saying that bacteria can share resistance?
Case summary:
An infant was suffering from fever from 36 hours. On examination, the signs of infection or cause of fever were absent. The pediatrician did not recommend any of the antibiotics until observing the infant for two days. Pediatrician explained that extensive use of antibiotics in both medicine and agriculture has developed a resistance against drugs in the bacteria. Moreover, the bacteria can also exchange the antibiotic resistant traits with other disease-causing bacteria.
Characters in the case:
A 4-month-old infant, infant’s mother, and pediatrician.
Adequate information:
Extensive use of antibiotics has developed the antibiotics resistance into the bacteria. Bacteria have the ability to transfer the antibiotic resistance and through this ability, bacteria can now spread the antibiotic resistance to other pathogenic bacteria. Also, several strains are nowadays resistant to multiple antibiotics.
To determine:
Whether the physician’s explanation that bacteria can share resistance is true or not.
Explanation of Solution
Given information:
The cause of fever in the infant was absent. Pediatrician is not ready to recommened antibiotics, as the extensive use of antibiotics makes the bacteria resistance to antibiotics.
The pediatrician explains to the mother that bacteria share the bacteria antibiotic resistance. This is true that the bacteria have the ability to acquire antibiotic resistance genes from other bacteria. The process of conjugation helps in this mechanism. Bacteria transfer the genetic material through the conjugation into another bacteria and this comes under horizontal gene transfer.
Even the genes that confer the antibiotic resistance (found on plasmids and transposons) can be transferred by conjugation. Viruses (bacteriophages) can also pass the resistance traits from one bacteria to another by acting as a vector. The virus packs the resistance traits of one bacterium into the head portion then the virus injects that resistance traits into the new bacteria. Bacteria also have the ability to acquire the free DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from the surroundings.
Therefore, it can be concluded that bacteria have the ability to transfer the antibiotic resistance across the bacterial cells through conjugation. Also, the bacteriophages can serve this purpose of transferring the genes between bacteria.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 8 Solutions
Essentials of Genetics (9th Edition) - Standalone book
- Which of these statements is true? An antibiotic is any substance produced by a organism that is antagonistic to the growth of prokaryotes An antibiotic is any substance produced by a prokaryote that is antagonistic to the growth of other viruses An antibiotic is any substance produced by a prokaryote that is antagonistic to the growth of eukaryotic cells An antibiotic is any substance produced by a prokaryote that prevents growth of the same prokaryote.arrow_forwardfive quotes about on how to prevent covid 19.?arrow_forwardA covid-19 vaccine is a biotechnology product intended to provide acquired immunity against coronavirus disease covid-19. As of december 2020, researchers are testing 59vaccines in clinical trials on humans and 16 have reached the final stages of testing. A covid vaccine developed by pfizer has been already approved for use in the uk and the first doses have been given to patients. vaccine typically require years of research and testing before reaching the clinic but in 2020, scientists embarked on a race to produce safe and effective coronavirus vaccine in record time. 1. companies developing vaccines,drugs and diagnostic for covid-19 for being forced to scale up manufacturing challenges to meet the enormous demand, what the manufacturing challenges to meet the covid-19 vaccine demand.arrow_forward
- Briefly discuss the reason why CoQ10 has been formulated into skin care products and used as food supplements.arrow_forwardPls help with below homework-) In a double-blind Vaccine study, half of the subjects were given the vaccine, and the other half were given a placebo. However, due to the known symptoms of the vaccine, those who were given the placebo were aware of that, so they were taking more infection preventive precautions. If we consider that the vaccine is preventive, how the study results can potentially be affected?arrow_forward(35) Human immunization with purified polysaccharide antigens generates a response that is not dependent on T-lymphocytes control. As a result switching of immunoglobulin class during immune response does not occur . Therefore,the human immune response 2 months after vaccination with purified polysaccharide involves primarily which of the following immunoglobulin classes? (A) IgA. (B) IgD. (C) IgE. (D) IgG.…arrow_forward
- 21)Which of the following sentences is NOT correct regarding the influenza virus: a)The influenza virus has complicated genetics mainly characterised by genetic reassortment amongst 8 genes b)The most important reservoir for highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus is domestic poultry c)Vaccine produced by inoculating chicken eggs requires, on average, three chicken eggs for a single dose of trivalent vaccine d)it is a contagious gastrointestinal illness which is responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year, and causes mild to severe life-threatening illness e)The influenza virus is mainly controlled in special "risk" sectors by vaccinationarrow_forward1) COVID-19 b. Do you think that complete lockdowns have worked? What are some of the direct and indirect impact of lockdowns c. Do the mask really work? Does the type of mask matter, if so, how? d. Why is it that some people (vaccinated and even unvaccinated ) never have contracted COVID-19 and/or tested positive for COVID-19arrow_forward2. Bacteriophage are very specific in the types of cells they can infect. Some see this as a possible therapy to help treat against bacterial infections. Please discuss pros and cons of this type of therapy with proper support.arrow_forward
- 13. Suppose a biotechnology company has developed a GMO, a transgenic plant that expresses Bt toxin. The company sells its seeds to a farmer under the condition that the farmer may plant the seed, but not collect seed from the plants that grow and use it to produce crops in the subsequent season. The seeds are expensive, and the farmer buys seeds from the company only once. How could the company show experimentally that the farmer has violated the agreement and is using seeds collected from the first crop to grow the next crop?arrow_forward60) An investigator is studying the immune response to an encapsulated strain of staphyloccoccus aureus. Two bacterila culture tubes are treated with human serum. Culture X contains a patient with a genetic deficiency in mannose bisning protein. Culturte Y contains serum form from a healthy individual. After 1 hour. bacterial lysis in culture Yis greater than thqatobtained in culture X. The investigator hypothesizes that the mannose bidning lectin activatesimmune system componentswith serum lysis of the bacteria. Which of the following system complements most likely performs this functions? (A) Complement (B) Eosinophil major basic protein (C) IgM (D) Lysozyme (E) Perforin (F) Toll-like receptorarrow_forwardShort answers questions 1. Give 4 examples of transcription factors / non-structural proteins ? 2. Identify the most commonly used technique for diagnosing COVID-19? And the clinical sample for each technique. 3. …….…… virus can cause encephalitis, cancer, sexually transmitted disease, infect external genitalia, mucosal surfaces, gladiatorum, and/or other diseases. How can the infection with this virus be avoided? Suggest two ways of prevention or to destroy the virus. 4. How can a defect in p53 gene contribute to cancer development? 5. A patient 19 year-old came to hospital and she had sore throat, fever, red tonsils and swollen uvula, and neck lymphadenopathy. She was given initially antibiotics and came after 5 days with tired, 39ºC. She had patches of white exudate on the tonsils, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. Hematological examination shows atypical lymphocytosis. A. Why do you think did she have these symptoms? Answer: these symptoms are for ……………………….…arrow_forward
- Biology 2eBiologyISBN:9781947172517Author:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann ClarkPublisher:OpenStaxBiology: The Dynamic Science (MindTap Course List)BiologyISBN:9781305389892Author:Peter J. Russell, Paul E. Hertz, Beverly McMillanPublisher:Cengage LearningBiology (MindTap Course List)BiologyISBN:9781337392938Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. BergPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Anatomy & PhysiologyBiologyISBN:9781938168130Author:Kelly A. Young, James A. Wise, Peter DeSaix, Dean H. Kruse, Brandon Poe, Eddie Johnson, Jody E. Johnson, Oksana Korol, J. Gordon Betts, Mark WomblePublisher:OpenStax College