Drug-resistant microorganisms - An evolutionary process

From being a miraculous savior to people suffering from infections, antibiotics are increasingly losing power because of misuse and abuse, which has led to the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria. Antibiotic resistance of bacteria is increasing.

An antibiotic is currently circulating in the market.(Photo: Mypregnancyexpert).

Even recently, American scientists have discovered bacteria resistant to colistin - the last effective antibiotic. If this gene is spread to other bacteria, this will be the end of the antibiotic era.

The development of resistant strains of bacteria is actually an evolutionary process. This is the process of selecting traits that help bacteria survive when affected by antibiotics. A certain bacterium in the population may just happen to have a trait that helps them adapt well. Through the selection process, it will reproduce and pass on the resistance to the next generation. This process will create a bacterial population capable of resisting antibiotics that have been used effectively before.

The probability of developing resistance is associated with both the variation in the bacterial population and their reproductive rate. Each reproductive cycle is once the new mutation is born and introduced into the overall gene pool. A life cycle of bacteria lasts from a few minutes to 24 hours, so according to scientists' calculations, the frequency of drug resistance is very high.