Malaria Treatment FAQ:
parasite have appeared that are resistant to te drugs used to treat the disease. explain how this could be an example of natural selection occurring?
parasite have appeared that are resistant to te drugs used to treat the disease. explain how this could be an example of natural selection occurring?
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Things in nature kill organisms everyday. Examples being predators, environment, competition, ect. This prevents their traits or DNA from being passed onto the next generation. When the sporozoans from malaria are killed by the drugs, they don’t pass on their traits. If one survives this, it can pass on the traits that allowed it to survive the drugs. These traits are passed onto their offspring and they are said to be naturally selected. All the organisms arising from this resistant ancestor will be resistant themselves
Certain numbers of the parasite acquired mutations in their DNA that allow them to be resistant to the drug. Those “favorable” mutations are passed on to subsequent generations. Eventually, the drug will have killed off those individuals that are sensitive, leaving the ones that have acquired resistance. Tada! Natural selection.