A parent bacterial cell is able to survive in the presence of the antibiotic penicillin. Subsequent generations from this parent will be _______ penicillin.(1 point)

Responses

dependent on
dependent on

killed by
killed by

resistant to
resistant to

vulnerable to

resistant to

The correct answer is "resistant to."

To understand why subsequent generations from a parent bacterial cell will be resistant to penicillin, we need to consider the mechanism of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Bacteria can acquire resistance to antibiotics through different mechanisms, such as mutations in their genetic material or the acquisition of resistance genes from other bacteria through horizontal gene transfer.

In the case of penicillin, some bacteria have developed an enzyme called beta-lactamase, which can break down and inactivate penicillin. This enzyme is encoded by a specific gene in their genetic material. When a parent bacterial cell carries this resistance gene and survives exposure to penicillin, it can pass this gene on to its offspring during replication.

As a result, subsequent generations from the parent bacterial cell will also carry the resistance gene and produce the beta-lactamase enzyme, making them resistant to penicillin. Therefore, the correct answer is "resistant to."