Question

By all of the following ways, bacteria can become resistant to the antibiotic, except
A. making enzymes that inactivate the drug
B. becoming impermeable to the drug
C. modifying the target of the drug
D. moving away from the drug

Answer 1

Antibiotics as the name suggests anti means “against” and bio means “life”. These are the chemical substances commonly referred to as the drugs that retard the growth of bacteria or the pathogens. So, in order to protect themselves, pathogens carry out certain alterations.

Complete answer:
The antibiotics are designed to work against bacteria. These antibiotics mostly act by interfering with the synthesis of cell walls of bacteria thereby killing the bacteria. But bacteria will attempt to protect itself from the attack by making it resistant to the applied antibiotic or the drug. Bacteria will undergo some modifications to become resistant to drug thereby protecting itself. They become resistant by either producing an enzyme that deactivates the antibiotic or by forming an impermeable capsule or by modifying the main target of that drug rendering the drug incapable of acting and thus the bacteria will become resistant. But these bacteria cannot become resistant to the antibiotic or the drug by moving away from the drug.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Resistance to antibiotics refers to the development of ability of bacteria or other microorganisms to overthrow the antibiotics or drugs that are meant to kill them. These pose serious threats to society as the bacteria that have become resistant towards antibiotics are difficult to treat or eradicate and sometimes it even becomes impossible to treat persons with such resistance which can be life threatening.