If the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus experiences a cost for maintaining one or more antibiotic-resistance genes, what would happen in environments that lack antibiotics?
A) These genes would be maintained in case the antibiotics appear.
B) These bacteria would be outcompeted and replaced by bacteria that have lost these genes.
C) These bacteria would try to make the cost worthwhile by locating and migrating to microenvironments where traces of antibiotics are present.
D) The number of genes conveying antibiotic resistance would increase in these bacteria.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In environments that lack antibiotics, the cost of maintaining antibiotic-resistance genes would not confer any advantage to the bacteria. Instead, the cost would become a burden, and bacteria without these genes would proliferate faster, leading to a replacement of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by antibiotic-susceptible ones.

If the Bacterium Staphylococcus Aureus Experiences a Cost for Maintaining