Why should we not overprescribe and overuse antibiotics?

Antibiotics are used for killing bacteria and therefore, it can act as a selection pressure. This means that the bacteria can mutate, in order to avoid being killed and this would be a favourable mutation, as only those bacteria that have this mutation will survive to reproduce. This selects out those bacteria with the mutation (and kills off all the ones without the mutation) and therefore: the antibiotic wil no longer work. Overuse of antibiotics exposes the bacteria already present in our body to the selection pressure and could potentially cause mutations to come about.

Answered by Niva R. Biology tutor

2386 Views

See similar Biology GCSE tutors

Related Biology GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Could you explain the blood flow through the heart?


Cycloheximide inhibits translation. Describe the process of translation.


How do we classify living organisms?


1 a) What is a pathogen? 1 b) How do white blood cells help to defend the body against pathogens?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences