Individual Statistics

Date of last work unit
2009-04-27 12:19:27

Total score
556766240

Overall rank (if points are combined)
1 of 1227565

Active processors (within 50 days)
32319

Active processors (within 7 days)
9273

Team Statistics

Report generated on
12:44:28 April 27, 2009

Date of last work unit
2009-04-27 12:19:27

Active CPUs within 50 days
128299

Team Id
0

Grand Score
6856704588 (certificate)

Work Unit Count
37004697 (certificate)

Team Ranking (incl. aggregate)
1 of 157553
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http://fah-web.stanford.edu/teamstats/team0.html

How much Influence does selection has on antibiotic resistance?

The Influence of selection on antibiotic resistance is enormous influencing the rate of mutation. After a mutation that is potential to cause antibiotic resistance phenotype has occurred the bacteria with the mutated allele must compete with the wild -type ancestral bacterium. The degree of competitiveness and the result depends on the relative fitness of the mutant cell compared to the wild-type ancestral population. And therefore the ability to mutate and the selective process plays a major role in determining the rate of mutation. Antibiotic resistance changes bacterial fitness by decreasing or increasing. In the event it is decreased in fitness bacteria is normally cleared quicker before selection. However this decreased fitness can be compensated by other mutations in different loci of a chromosome resulting to equal or higher in fitness of the mutant allele compared to the wild-type ancestor. Furthermore, increased fitness in the antibiotic resistant bacteria brings about enormous mutation rates. Other factors that are important in the selective process are antibiotic concentrations and the physical structure of the selective habitat.

Inbreeding and antibiotic resistance

What effect would inbreeding have on antibiotic resistance?

Bacteria reproduce asexually and each of their offspring are clones of the parent. If one bacteria is antibiotic resistant and another is not, then the inbred or cloned offspring on the resistant bacteria will be the ones to survive in the presence of antibiotics. However, if the antibiotic is altered to attack the previously resistant bacteria then all clones of this bacteria will no longer be resistant and will die. As long as bacteria are constantly mutating there will almost always be an antibiotic resistant strain.

Question I
In calculating H^2 for antibiotic resistance we find that it is simply 1 as any trait aquired will be passed onto any offspring produced as sexual reproduction is typically not going to take place.