Question

A student with Strep throat (caused by a strain of bacterium) is given a prescription for an antibiotic and is told to take the drug for two weeks. After a week, the student feels better and stops taking the drug. Two months later, the student again shows symptoms of Strep throat and decides to finish the leftover antibiotic rather than going to the doctor again. Two months later, the student develops Strep throat for a third time and returns to the doctor. This time, the antibiotic does not work. The doctor runs a test and discovers that the bacterial strain the student is carrying is antibiotic resistant. What most likely happened?

Answer 1

The student likely developed antibiotic-resistant Strep throat due to premature discontinuation of antibiotic treatment and subsequent incorrect usage of leftover antibiotics.

Step-by-step explanation:

Most likely what happened in the scenario of the student developing antibiotic-resistant Strep throat is a consequence of improper antibiotic use. When the student stopped taking the prescribed antibiotic prematurely because they felt better, not all of the bacteria were killed. Some bacteria, which might have had a slight resistance to the antibiotic, survived and continued to reproduce. Over time, these surviving bacteria passed their resistant traits to their offspring, ultimately leading to a strain of bacteria in the student's body that is fully resistant to the antibiotic.

Furthermore, when the student decided to use the leftover antibiotics two months later without consulting a healthcare provider, this further contributed to selective pressure on the bacteria, favouring those with resistance. This is because there was likely not enough medication to complete a full course, leading to insufficient treatment. Healthcare professionals stress the importance of completing a full course of antibiotics to ensure all the bacteria are killed and to prevent the emergence of drug resistance.

In this case, the bacteria had multiple opportunities to adapt and select for antibiotic resistance due to the incorrect use and incomplete courses of antibiotics, which is a significant contributing factor to the global issue of antibiotic resistance.

Once a bacterial infection becomes resistant, it is more difficult to treat, as evidenced by the student's third infection, which failed to respond to the previous antibiotic. This illustrates the need for responsible antibiotic use and adherence to medical advice to prevent the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections.