Bacteria can share DNA, there is a plasmid that sort of infects bacteria, and it causes bacteria to create connections with other bacteria. https://en.wikipedia

Bacteria can share DNA, there is a plasmid that sort of infects bacteria, and it causes bacteria to create connections with other bacteria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasmid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasmid It shares the plasmid DNA, but it also shares other DNA from that one bacteria to another. This allows bacteria to rapidly modify by mixing and matching DNA from other bacteria around them. Obviously bacteria that have traits that are beneficial are selected for. So some pathogenic bacteria that don't have this resistance will be killed by the antibiotic. Some nonpathogenic bacteria that have natural resistance will at some point share the relevant DNA with the pathogenic bacteria, which will then be selected for by the antibiotic, and then you have the new pathogenic antibiotic resistant strain. Or it could happen with some minor mutation, depending on how the antibiotic works, the article is deceptive in saying that resistance doesn't come from antibiotic use.