Antibiotics are routinely introduced into the food of cattle, chickens and other livestock, which causes the animals to grow faster. Since the cost of antibiotics is low, the use of antibiotics is an easy way to achieve faster weight gain in animals.

a. Explain how this practice could affect the probability of developing populations of antibiotic-resitant bacteria that cause human disease?

Antibiotics are generally fine when used properly for treating or preventing infections.

However, excessive or inappropriate use is a problem. When antibiotics are overused, they end up becoming less effective for both humans and animals.

This is because bacteria that are frequently exposed to antibiotics develop a resistance to them. As a result, the antibiotics are no longer as effective at killing harmful bacteria. This is a great concern for public health

Resistant bacteria can be passed from food-producing animals to humans in a number of ways.

If an animal is carrying resistant bacteria, it can be passed on through meat that is not handled or cooked properly.

You can also encounter these bacteria by consuming food crops that have been sprayed with fertilizers containing animal manure with resistant bacteria.

Once spread to humans, resistant bacteria can stay in the human gut and spread between individuals. The consequences of consuming resistant bacteria.

Infections that would not have happened otherwise.

Increased severity of infections, often including vomiting and diarrhea.

Difficulty in treating infections and higher chances that treatments will fail.

In the US, every year around two million people get infected with bacteria resistant to one or more of the antibiotics normally used to treat the infections.

Of those people, at least 23,000 die each year. Many more die from other conditions made worse by the infection.