4 ms·
Good point. My use of the word "strongest" was definitely misleading, but I am not convinced it is always the case that there isn't a relatively low dimensional
by gburt 11y ago
Good point. My use of the word "strongest" was definitely misleading, but I am not convinced it is always the case that there isn't a relatively low dimensional definition of "strong" in this sense.
- JupiterMoon 11y agoI think (and if I'm wrong someone please correct me) that adaptations the bacteria evolve are specific features to specific pathways that they have for removing toxins (to a bacteria an antibiotic is a strong toxin).
- maxerickson 11y agoIt depends on what you meant by pathway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_resistance#Mechanisms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_resistance#Mecha... The mechanism can be encoded on a plasmid, for example: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC514751/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC514751/ So in that case, a bacteria could import the mechanism wholesale from a resistant population. (Plasmids are fragments of DNA that bacteria can swap back and forth, even across species)