The Growing Global Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance Ielts Reading Answers Top -

Paragraph E details the financial hurdles for the pharmaceutical sector, explaining that chronic condition drugs are far more lucrative than short-course antibiotics, making R&D costs hard to recoup.

This text challenges students with dense scientific concepts and specific data interpretation. If you recently took a practice test on this topic, here is a breakdown of the common answers to help you understand the logic behind them.

Paragraph A mentions that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, but the text does not state whether he personally anticipated or predicted rapid bacterial resistance. Paragraph E details the financial hurdles for the

Paragraph D details the agricultural sector's role, noting how "subtherapeutic doses are routinely mixed into animal feed" on industrial farms to promote growth and prevent disease. 5. vii (The grave danger to routine medical surgeries)

Often referred to as a "success story".

Reasoning: Paragraph B mentions that antibiotics are used unnecessarily to treat "viral infections like the common cold."

Pharmaceutical companies require financial incentives to invest in the research and development of novel antibiotic classes, a field that has seen little innovation in recent decades. vii (The grave danger to routine medical surgeries)

While the natural biological mutation of bacteria is a slow process, human activity has rapidly escalated the crisis. In many parts of the world, antibiotics are readily available over the counter without a prescription, leading to self-medication and improper dosing. Furthermore, the agricultural sector is a major driver of resistance. Farmers frequently administer antibiotics to livestock not only to treat illness but also to promote growth and prevent disease in crowded conditions. This sub-therapeutic usage creates a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can be transmitted to humans via the food chain or through environmental contamination.

Paragraph D refers directly to livestock farming using sub-therapeutic doses "not to treat diagnosed illnesses, but to promote rapid physical growth and prevent infections." In many parts of the world