• Question: Do you know why the bacteria you have recently been looking at is resistant to antibiotics?

    Asked by SJ to Nikki on 6 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Nikki D'Arcy

      Nikki D'Arcy answered on 6 Mar 2016:

      Hi SJ,

      That’s a great question! Thanks.

      Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics for lots of reasons. They become resistant either by changes in their DNA or they can pick up genes from other bacteria which means they become less susceptible to the antibiotic. The changes in their genes sometimes mean they can pump antibiotics out so they don’t get killed by them or other times, they can produce enzymes which break up the antibiotics.

      They change their genes when they are exposed to low levels of antibiotics. So the main reasons that bacteria become resistant are when people do not finish a course of antibiotics that they have been prescribed by a doctor, when they take antibiotics when they don’t need them (for a cold for example) and also because antibiotics are used for animals we eat. All of these things mean there are lots of antibiotics floating around which can cause the bacteria to mutate or pass on their genes to others.

      I hope that answers your question!

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