Question

multiple select question
select all that apply
which are true of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacterial strains?
the appearance of mutations that confer resistance is facilitated by the small size of microbial population, which leads to strong genetic drift.
resistance initially was due to a random mutation.
increased resistance is due to selection.
strains resistant to multiple antibiotics are likely to appear regardless of how humans use antibiotics.

Explanation:

• Microbial populations are large, not small, so the first statement is false. Resistance in bacteria initially often results from random mutations. Once resistance - conferring mutations occur, increased resistance can be due to natural selection when antibiotics are present. And multiple - resistant strains can emerge spontaneously due to the large population size and high mutation rates of bacteria, even without human antibiotic use.

Answer:

• B. Resistance initially was due to a random mutation.
• C. Increased resistance is due to selection.
• D. Strains resistant to multiple antibiotics are likely to appear regardless of how humans use antibiotics.