[Campbell Biology P.638] Which of the following recent discoveries offers potential new aven... | Practice Question

Which of the following recent discoveries offers potential new avenues for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria, as mentioned in the text?

  • A: The development of new methods for administering existing toxic drugs.
  • B: The sequencing of genes from soil bacteria that led to the discovery of malacidins.
  • C: Exclusive reliance on natural selection to eliminate resistant strains.
  • D: The increasing prevalence of "superbug" tuberculosis strains globally.

Explanation

The text states, "Even so, recent discoveries give cause for hope. In 2018, for example, researchers used a metagenomic approach to sequence genes from soil bacteria that could not be grown in the laboratory. They found that some of these genes encoded a new class of antibiotics, which have been named malacidins." This directly points to the discovery of malacidins as a new avenue.