Question

1. A single Staphylococcus aureus bacteria cell gets into a wound on your foot. S. aureus divides by binary fission approximately once every 30 minutes (doubling time). Mutations occur at a rate of 1 per 1010 base pairs per generation. S. aureus has 2.8 x 10⁶ base pairs in its genome. Therefore, approximately 0.0028 mutations will occur per bacterium in the population.
   1. As a Gram-positive bacteria, will this infection be susceptible to antibiotics? Explain your answer (reference one of the three patterns of osmosis).
   2. At the end of 12 hours, how many mutations will be present in the population of S. aureus in the wound in your foot? (Hint: Calculate how big the population will be first. Use an exponential calculator online if you need to.)
   3. What are the implications of this genetic diversity in the context of treating a possible infection? How would a higher mutation rate affect the bacteria’s ability to adapt to antibiotics?

Answer 1