The Growing Global Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance Ielts Reading Answers Verified __link__ Access

Answer: BM (Barbara Murray)

Using viruses to combat bacterial infections is a completely new concept discovered in the 21st century. Questions 6–10

Antibiotic resistance is, at its core, an outcome of evolution by natural selection. Any population of organisms—bacteria included—naturally contains genetic variants with unusual traits. Among these variants are bacteria that possess the ability to withstand an antibiotic's attack. When a person takes an antibiotic, the drug kills the susceptible bacteria while leaving behind those that can resist it. These surviving bacteria then multiply rapidly, increasing their numbers a million-fold in a single day, eventually becoming the predominant microorganism. Answer: BM (Barbara Murray) Using viruses to combat

Patient behaviour compounds the problem. People stop taking antibiotic prescriptions early when they feel better, take antibiotics when they are not needed, or share leftover medication with family and friends. Each of these practices allows a subset of bacteria to survive treatment, multiply and pass on their resistance.

: Farms and abattoirs act as breeding grounds; bacteria spread through livestock and even food crops treated with contaminated manure. Among these variants are bacteria that possess the

| Question | Answer | Type | |----------|--------|------| | Questions 1-11 | Various (refer to passage-specific answer key) | Multiple/Short Answer | | 12 | E (Innovation in research) | Matching | | 13 | A (Collaboration with policymakers for funding) | Matching | | 14 | D (Development of new tools by WHO) | Matching |

Explanation: In Paragraph E, Linda McCaig notes that "there are a number of immunocompromised patients who wouldn't have survived in earlier times. Radical procedures produce patients who are in difficult shape in the hospital, and there is routine use of antibiotics to prevent infection in these patients." This directly supports the statement that antibiotics are used preventively.. Patient behaviour compounds the problem

Keeping new breakthrough antibiotics as a "last resort" has financial disadvantages for pharmaceutical corporations.

The direct passing of mutated, resistant genes from a parent bacterium to its offspring during cellular division.

The primary catalyst behind the acceleration of AMR is the pervasive misuse and over-prescribing of antibiotic medications. Globally, millions of patients demand antibacterial drugs for viral illnesses like influenza or the common cold, conditions against which these medications have absolutely zero therapeutic effect. In many developing nations, the problem is compounded by lax regulatory frameworks, allowing powerful broad-spectrum antibiotics to be purchased over the counter without a qualified medical prescription. This unregulated access ensures that bacterial populations are constantly exposed to sub-lethal doses of drugs, creating the perfect evolutionary pressure cooker for generating "superbugs"—bacterial strains resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics. Paragraph D

Detailed answer explanations are available in the verified solution sets accompanying the passage.