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After an infection was treated with a new drug, inflammation decreased - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 12 - 2008 - Paper 1
Question 12
After an infection was treated with a new drug, inflammation decreased. In a few patients, inflammation returned after one week. In these patients, the pathogens cau... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:After an infection was treated with a new drug, inflammation decreased - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 12 - 2008 - Paper 1
Step 1
What conclusion can be drawn from these observations?
Answer
The most logical conclusion is (D) A few pathogens resistant to the drugs were present at the start of treatment and natural selection increased their numbers. This is due to the observation that while initial treatment reduced inflammation, the subsequent return of inflammation indicates that the remaining pathogens were able to proliferate, suggesting that they had inherent resistance.