Horizontal Gene Transfer
Threats to human health occur if a human bacterial pathogen has the opportunity to obtain antibiotic resistance genes through interaction with environmental bacteria and return to human hosts via the following mechanism:
a) Sewage treatment plants
b) Food supply chains
c) Agriculture
d) All of the above
d) All of the above
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that _______ people die annually in the USA as a result of an infection with an antibiotic resistant organism?
a) 5,000
b) 11,000
c) 23,000
d) 45,000
c) 23,000
What countries will see their farming antibiotic consumption double in the coming years?
a) European countries
b) BRIC countries (Brasil, Russia, India, China)
c) North and Latin American countries
d) None of the above
b) BRIC countries (Brasil, Russia, India, China)
Are antibiotics absorbed by the livestock or can antibiotics be excreted in feces and urine?
a) Absorbed by the body
b) Excreted in feces and urine
b) Excreted in feces and urine
Which of the following is the best explanation for the occurrence and inducement of horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance genetic factors?
a) Changes in nutrient uptake
b) Environmental stressors and pressures
c) Quorum sensing between neighboring bacterial cells
d) The stages of bacterial growth
b) Environmental stressors and pressures
Infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms carry an important economic burden, estimated at over _______ dollars per year in the US only.
a) 5 million
b) 40 million
c) 100 million
d) 20 billion
d) 20 billion
What is NOT a cause of Bacterial antibiotic resistance?
a) Over-prescription of antibiotics.
b) Patients not finishing the entire antibiotic course
c) Natural evolution
d) Overuse of antibiotics in livestock and fish farming
c) Natural evolution
All animals carry bacteria in their intestines, but animals who are given antibiotics may kill many bacteria. This leaves resistant bacteria to survive and multiply; how may we get infected by these bacteria?
a) Water contamination
b) Uncooked meat
c) From touching or caring for animals
d) All of the above
d) All of the above
Once a resistance factor enters a human pathogen is it likely to return to and be horizontally transferred back to environmental bacteria?
a) No; since they are often phylogenetically distant the resistance factor is more likely to be passed among closely related pathogenic bacteria.
b) Yes; as long as the factor is transposable it should be able to transfer the antibiotic resistance gene.
c) No; since pathogenic bacteria tend to be gram-negative, going through two membranes and one cell wall, it will be more difficult for the resistance factor to be transferred.
d) Yes; all kinds of bacteria are able to share and exchange genetic information and factors at any time.
a) No; since they are often phylogenetically distant the resistance factor is more likely to be passed among closely related pathogenic bacteria.
World Health Organization has named antibiotic resistance as one of the ____ most important public health threats of the 21st century.
a) two
b) three
c) four
d) five
b) three
How much money will farmers lose if antibiotics were to be banned from agriculture?
a) 100 Billion Dollars
b) 10 Billion Dollars
c) 500 Million Dollars
d) Zilch
d) Zilch
In the United States about what percent of antibiotics sold are used in the livestock industry?
a) 20%
b) 40%
c) 60%
d) 80%
d) 80%
True or False: Novel resistance genes are often selected for during horizontal gene transfer due to their associated high fitness costs and low selective pressures.
a) True
b) False
b) False
Why can’t we just stop using antimicrobials in food-producing animals?
a) Animal welfare (correct answer)
b) Little to No evidence in support of negative effects
c) Cost would increase if we stopped usage
d) a and c
e) a, b, and c
e) a, b, and c