Answer:
All the given statements are correct except b.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) refers to the ability of a microorganism to grow in the presence of drug or a chemical that would normally limit its growth or kill it.
It makes it difficult for the existing drugs to eliminate the infection as they become less effective against the microbe.
There are five major mechanisms by which a microbe attains resistance against antimicrobial chemical or drug:
- Drug modification or inactivation: A microbial enzyme inactivates the antimicrobial agent. For example, few bacteria produce β-lactamases which provide multi-resistance against β-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin etc.
- Alteration or modification of target site: An altered target site prevents the antimicrobial agent from binding to its target. For example, alteration of penicillin binding protein (PBP) in Methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus </em>(MRSA).
- Alteration of metabolic pathway: The microbe uses an alternative pathway to circumvent the blocked pathway. For example, sulfonamides-resistant bacteria started using preformed folic acid in place of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA).
- Decreased drug accumulation: Microbial efflux pumps remove the antimicrobial agent (before it could do any damage) by pumping it out of the cell.
- Decrease in cell permeability: The permeability of the microbial envelope to the antimicrobial agent is decreased
Answer:
Pathogens cause infection by entering the organism and infecting a host in order to reproduce. As they replicate themselves, the pathogen spreads and becomes more harmful. The immune system consists of lymphocytes and phagocytes which help kill the pathogen. The lymphocytes produce antibodies which can latch on and destroy invading viruses or bacteria. The phagocytes have the ability to ingest the pathogen by engulfing it.
Hope this helps!
