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Date November 2010 Marks available 2 Reference code 10N.3.HL.TZ0.7
Level Higher level Paper Paper 3 Time zone TZ0
Command term Outline Question number 7 Adapted from N/A

Question

Antibiotics are sometimes given orally to poultry to prevent disease that may lead to reduced growth. Antibiotic resistance of bacteria from turkeys and chickens bred for meat and from egg laying hens was measured.

Excrement was collected and Escherichia coli bacteria were isolated. These bacteria were tested for resistance to a range of antibiotics and the results are shown below.

Calculate the percentage risk of bacteria becoming resistant to more than five kinds of antibiotics in turkeys and egg laying hens.

Turkeys:

 

Egg laying hens:

[1]
a.

Compare the incidence of drug resistance in bacteria from chickens and egg laying hens.

[2]
b.

Discuss the hypothesis that giving antibiotics increases antibiotic resistance in poultry bacteria.

[2]
c.

Suggest how antibiotic-resistant bacteria are passed from animals to humans.

[1]
d.

Outline the mechanism of the action of antibiotics.

[2]
e.

Outline the mechanism of the action of antibiotics.

[2]
e.

Markscheme

turkeys: 33/32.6/32.56 %

egg laying hens: 0 %

Both needed to award the mark.

a.

a. none of the egg laying hens have bacteria resistant to 5 or more antibiotics while (10) chickens have bacteria resistant to 5 or more antibiotics;

b. 13/65 % of the egg laying hens have no resistant bacteria while 9/20 % of the chickens have no resistant bacteria;

c. both have approximately same percentage/number of E. coli resistant to 1 or 3 antibiotics;

d. egg laying hens have less incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria than chickens;

b.

a. hypothesis supported for poultry raised for meat but not for egg-laying;

b. turkeys and chickens always have bacteria resistant to more antibiotics than egg laying hens;

c. antibiotic-resistant bacteria are still found in egg laying hens even though antibiotics are rarely given;

d. antibiotic-resistant strains (of bacteria) may have arisen by other means/other than by poultry being given oral antibiotics;

c.

from fecal matter to man handling the chickens / by accidental hand to mouth contact / contaminated dust / eating raw meat;

d.

a. inhibition of synthesis of walls;

b. inhibition of protein synthesis;

c. inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis;

e.

a. inhibition of synthesis of walls;

b. inhibition of protein synthesis;

c. inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis;

e.

Examiners report

Many could calculate the percentages correctly, but demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the data. There was quite a bit of confusion about the poultry being resistant to bacteria rather than the bacteria found in the poultry being drug resistant.

a.

Many could calculate the percentages correctly, but demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the data. There was quite a bit of confusion about the poultry being resistant to bacteria rather than the bacteria found in the poultry being drug resistant.

b.

Many could calculate the percentages correctly, but demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the data. There was quite a bit of confusion about the poultry being resistant to bacteria rather than the bacteria found in the poultry being drug resistant.

c.

Many could calculate the percentages correctly, but demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the data. There was quite a bit of confusion about the poultry being resistant to bacteria rather than the bacteria found in the poultry being drug resistant.

d.

Many could calculate the percentages correctly, but demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the data. There was quite a bit of confusion about the poultry being resistant to bacteria rather than the bacteria found in the poultry being drug resistant.

e.

Many could calculate the percentages correctly, but demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the data. There was quite a bit of confusion about the poultry being resistant to bacteria rather than the bacteria found in the poultry being drug resistant.

e.

Syllabus sections

Core » Topic 6: Human physiology » 6.3 Defence against infectious disease
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