Why can bacteria adapt to antibiotics, but not adapt to environmental things like heat or acids/soaps (Salmonella as an example)?

Question

Edit: I’ve had a lot of fun reading all of your analogies

In: 64

Answer 1

There are bacteria which live in superheated water which would kill most bacteria. They’re called hyperthermophiles and they live near volcanic vents.

They probably evolved in a manner similar to how antibiotic resistant bacteria develop. With antibiotics, some bacteria are exposed only slightly, manage to survive, and develop resistance. With heat, exposure to lesser heat levels doesn’t kill all the bacteria – some develop a little more resistance and reproduce, and later and later generations are able to handle higher and higher temps.

It doesn’t take as long with antibiotics as it does with environmental factors because of reasons others have given, but it can happen over time.