Resistant bacteria: the agricultural use of antibiotics should be restricted.

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Q: Is this Resistant bacteria: the agricultural use of antibiotics should be restricted. guide aligned to the AQA specification?

Yes. This guide is linked to the Resistant bacteria: the agricultural use of antibiotics should be restricted. topic in the AQA GCSE specification.

Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria or stop their growth.

Study notes

From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

The idea

What earns the marks

Antibiotics kill bacteria or inhibit bacterial growth, so they are ineffective against viruses and cannot treat viral infections.
Routine or preventive agricultural use exposes large numbers of bacteria to antibiotics, increasing the chance that resistant mutants survive and reproduce.
Resistant bacteria can pass from livestock to humans via food, water, animal contact or the environment, so agricultural use affects human health.
Restricting use to cases of confirmed bacterial infection in animals reduces selection pressure, slowing the emergence and spread of resistant strains.
Preserving antibiotic effectiveness matters because some human infections, such as certain blood or wound infections, can only be treated with antibiotics.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Thinking antibiotics kill viruses.
Put it right: Antibiotics act on bacteria, so they cannot treat viral illnesses such as colds or flu.
Assuming resistance develops in the human patient only.
Put it right: Resistance can arise in farm animals and then spread to humans through food, water or contact.
Believing restricting agricultural use stops all resistance.
Put it right: It slows the spread of resistance but does not eliminate it, because resistance also develops through human medical use.

Exam tips

Link each point back to natural selection: mutation, survival, reproduction and inheritance of the resistant allele.
Use the phrase 'reduces selection pressure' when explaining why restricting use helps, and say what is being selected for.
Give a named route of transmission, such as contaminated food or water, rather than saying 'it spreads'.

Try the lesson

The start of the Resistant bacteria: the agricultural use of antibiotics should be restricted. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

Have a go first

Farmers sometimes give antibiotics to healthy farm animals to stop them getting ill. Why do scientists say this use of antibiotics should be restricted?

Tip: press 1 to 4 to choose

Listen

Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria or stop their growth. When farmers give antibiotics to livestock, often to prevent disease in crowded conditions or to promote faster growth, bacteria in those animals are exposed to the drug. Any bacterium with a random mutation that lets it survive reproduces rapidly, so resistant strains build up in the animals, in their waste and in the environment. These resistant bacteria can reach humans through food, water or direct contact, making infections harder to treat. Restricting agricultural use means giving antibiotics only when a vet confirms a bacterial infection, rather than routinely, which slows the spread of resistance and keeps these medicines effective for treating serious human infections. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Antibiotics kill bacteria or inhibit bacterial growth, so they are ineffective against viruses and cannot treat viral infections. Routine or preventive agricultural use exposes large numbers of bacteria to antibiotics, increasing the chance that resistant mutants survive and reproduce. Resistant bacteria can pass from livestock to humans via food, water, animal contact or the environment, so agricultural use affects human health. Restricting use to cases of confirmed bacterial infection in animals reduces selection pressure, slowing the emergence and spread of resistant strains. A common slip: Thinking antibiotics kill viruses. Instead, antibiotics act on bacteria, so they cannot treat viral illnesses such as colds or flu. Exam tip: Link each point back to natural selection: mutation, survival, reproduction and inheritance of the resistant allele.

See it

A vertical flowchart with nine boxes connected by downward arrows. The first box reads 'Antibiotics given to livestock routinely' and points to 'Bacteria in animals exposed to the drug'. That points to 'Random mutation lets a bacterium survive', which points to 'Resistant bacterium reproduces rapidly'. This points to 'Resistant strains build up in animals, waste and environment', which points to 'Resistant bacteria reach humans through food, water or contact'. That points to 'Infections harder to treat', which points to 'Restrict use to confirmed bacterial infection'. The final box reads 'Reduces selection pressure and slows spread of resistance'. — It shows how routine agricultural antibiotic use leads to resistant bacteria that can reach humans, and how restricting use slows the spread of resistance.

Label the diagram

Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A vertical flowchart with nine boxes connected by downward arrows. The first box reads 'Antibiotics given to livestock routinely' and points to 'Bacteria in animals exposed to the drug'. That points to 'Random mutation lets a bacterium survive', which points to 'Resistant bacterium reproduces rapidly'. This points to 'Resistant strains build up in animals, waste and environment', which points to 'Resistant bacteria reach humans through food, water or contact'. That points to 'Infections harder to treat', which points to 'Restrict use to confirmed bacterial infection'. The final box reads 'Reduces selection pressure and slows spread of resistance'.

1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3

0 of 3 labelled

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