Final answer:
The term 'satellite colony' refers to a bacterial colony that indicates resistance to an antibiotic within the original population, making the statement true. This resistance evolves due to natural selection, fueled by antibiotic overuse, and is propagated through mechanisms such as transformation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term satellite colony usually refers to a smaller bacterial colony that grows in the proximity of a larger one on an agar plate containing antibiotics. The smaller colony grows because it has gained resistance to the antibiotic from the larger one, often via horizontal gene transfer. This phenomenon indeed represents bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic within the original population, confirming that the statement given by the student is true.
The excessive use of antibiotics has led to the evolution of resistant bacterial strains through natural selection. When antibiotics are used infrequently, resistant bacteria like MRSA may maintain their population levels. Furthermore, genetic mechanisms such as transformation can allow genes for antibiotic resistance to be transferred between nonpathogenic and pathogenic bacterial strains, further spreading resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance can be more prevalent in bacterial biofilms compared to free-floating cells because biofilms can protect the bacteria within them, making it harder for antibiotics to penetrate and kill them.