For many years, antibiotics have been effectively used to treat bacterial disease; and pesticides have been used to protect our agricultural crops from many kinds of pests, including insects, worms (nematodes), fungi, or agricultural weeds, for example.
A growing concern for treating bacterial diseases or pest outbreaks is the evolution of antibiotic or pesticide resistance by bacterial or pest populations. Resistance means that a particular antibiotic is no longer effective in treating a disease, or that a particular pesticide will no longer prevent crop damage. This resistance can be viewed as evolution of a new trait at the population level, which is resistance to an antibiotic or to a pesticide. In this assignment, you will explore specific examples of antibiotic or pesticide resistance.
Assignment details:
After reading materials about evolution and about antibiotic and pesticide resistance in the text, the Course Materials, the AIU Online Library and / or the Internet, answer the following.
Select and describe one example of antibiotic resistance or pesticide resistance. Be specific in your choice.
1. Describe the background for your choice of resistance. Include details about the disease or pest and the established control strategies. How have we used antibiotics (to treat a particular disease), or pesticides (to protect from a pest); and how has this changed?
2. Explain how the resistant trait evolved based on principles of natural selection and evolution of a trait at the population level.
3. For your specific example, what are the consequences of resistance in terms of human health or crop loss / damage?
4. What steps can be taken to prevent or slow down the evolution of antibiotic or pesticide resistance? Do you think we will succeed in doing so? Why or why not?
A growing concern for treating bacterial diseases or pest outbreaks is the evolution of antibiotic or pesticide resistance by bacterial or pest populations. Resistance means that a particular antibiotic is no longer effective in treating a disease, or that a particular pesticide will no longer prevent crop damage. This resistance can be viewed as evolution of a new trait at the population level, which is resistance to an antibiotic or to a pesticide. In this assignment, you will explore specific examples of antibiotic or pesticide resistance.
Assignment details:
After reading materials about evolution and about antibiotic and pesticide resistance in the text, the Course Materials, the AIU Online Library and / or the Internet, answer the following.
Select and describe one example of antibiotic resistance or pesticide resistance. Be specific in your choice.
1. Describe the background for your choice of resistance. Include details about the disease or pest and the established control strategies. How have we used antibiotics (to treat a particular disease), or pesticides (to protect from a pest); and how has this changed?
2. Explain how the resistant trait evolved based on principles of natural selection and evolution of a trait at the population level.
3. For your specific example, what are the consequences of resistance in terms of human health or crop loss / damage?
4. What steps can be taken to prevent or slow down the evolution of antibiotic or pesticide resistance? Do you think we will succeed in doing so? Why or why not?
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If it were me I would start looking into round-up resistance in soybeans (which is a problem here in Ohio). Back in 1996 the big agricultural seed supplier and researcher Monsanto released a soybean that was Round-up resistant, so that you can spray your field with the herbicide and it will kill the weeds but not your crops (called 'roundup ready soybeans'). Round-up is sprayed to control weeds, but is developing 'superweeds' which are round-up resistant. Here are some articles:
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