Staphylococcus Aureus Essay

511 Words3 Pages
Staphylococcus aureus, (S aureus) or ‘Golden Staph’ as it is more commonly as, is a bacteria that is generally harmless to humans. This fact is true with the exception of when it’s host is weakened by disease and or traumatic injury in which case it can prove fatal. Genetic variation and mutation of the bacteria has been likened to the Darwinist theory of Evolution. Treatment of the Staphylococcus bacteria has become increasingly more complex over time. The genetic evolution of this bacteria has caused some strains of the infection to become resistant to the antibiotics on the market for the treatment of S aueus. Some believe that this resistance is a result of the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics, reasoning the more the bacteria is exposed to the antibiotics the more chance it has to evolve. Through genetic variation; the variation in alleles of a gene which occurs both within and among populations, the bacteria has been able to stray from the original strain and in a sense become ‘smarter’ so that they won’t die out as easily as the non-mutated strain. Genetic variation plays a very important part in the evolutionary process. The multi-resistant S aureus (MRSA) can be presumed to be a direct result of genetic mutation which leads to wider genetic variation. Genetic mutations are changes in a DNA sequence, they can have extensive effects on an organism. However in many cases the evolutionary change is based on an accumulation of multiple mutations. Another reason the MRSA is becoming more propionate is due to natural selection; ‘survival of the fittest,’ for example a bright beetle is more likely to be eaten first, before the dull more camouflaged beetle because it is the most visible to predators. The beetle was forced to adapt to its environment by losing its bright colours in order to survive longer than its counterpart. Therefore like the beetle
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