The Growing Global Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance Ielts Reading Answers _top_

The consequences of antibiotic resistance are far-reaching and devastating. Infections caused by resistant bacteria are more difficult to treat, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. According to the WHO, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development. The organization estimates that at least 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant infections, with this number expected to rise to 10 million by 2050.

of antibiotics in both human medicine and agriculture. In many parts of the world, these life-saving drugs are available over the counter without a prescription, leading to their use for viral infections like the flu, against which they are ineffective. Furthermore, the massive scale of antibiotic use in livestock—often to promote growth rather than treat disease—creates a breeding ground for resistant strains

The pharmaceutical industry has also contributed to the problem. Developing new antibiotics is expensive and, paradoxically, not very profitable. Since antibiotics are used for short durations and must be reserved to prevent resistance, companies struggle to recoup research costs. Consequently, the antibiotic pipeline has dried up. While 40 new antibiotics were approved between 1980 and 2000, only 12 have been approved since 2010. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a ‘priority pathogen list’ of bacteria—including carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter and drug-resistant tuberculosis—for which no effective drugs remain in development. The organization estimates that at least 700,000 people

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve mechanisms to survive exposure to drugs designed to kill them. This is a natural evolutionary process, but human activities have dramatically accelerated it. The primary driver is the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. In many countries, antibiotics are available without prescription, leading to self-medication for viral infections like the common cold—against which they are useless. Even when prescribed correctly, patients often fail to complete the full course, allowing surviving bacteria to develop resistance.

i. A broken business model for new drugs ii. How bacteria fight back and share survival skills iii. Practical steps to preserve antibiotic effectiveness iv. Global death projections and infection data v. The alarming rise of resistant ‘superbugs’ in hospitals vi. Why farm animals are a hidden source of resistance vii. Comparing pandemic responses to AMR viii. Political agreements and national success stories ix. Cutting-edge science and economic fixes x. The difference between a virus and a bacteria Furthermore, the massive scale of antibiotic use in

Choose the correct heading for sections from the list below. Write the correct number (i-x).

To understand the threat, one must first grasp the biological mechanism: evolution by natural selection. When a patient takes antibiotics, the drug kills the vast majority of susceptible bacteria. However, within any large bacterial population, a few individuals may possess random genetic mutations that allow them to survive the drug’s effects. These survivors replicate, passing on their resistant genes to subsequent generations. Furthermore, bacteria can share genetic material horizontally—via plasmids, transposons, and integrons—allowing resistance to leap between different bacterial species, even across genera. This means that a resistance gene that develops in E. coli in one part of the world can eventually transfer to Klebsiella pneumoniae on another continent. Consequently, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics accelerate this natural process, turning a slow evolutionary trickle into a raging torrent. When a patient takes antibiotics

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies several factors accelerating this crisis: