how does not finishing a course of antibiotics cause antibiotic resistance?
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– When you take antibiotics the weaker bacteria get killed first
– If you don’t complete the course the stronger bacteria might remain
– The stronger bacteria will then multiply into a colony of bacteria stronger than the original one and might make you even more sick
– Think of it like Darwinian survival of the fittest except where a generation is a few hours rather than several years.
– It won’t affect overall antibiotic resistance but will leave you infected with a colony of bacteria that are more resistant to antibiotics than the one you started with.
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