Antibiotic Resistance
Student Data Sheet
Name _______________________
Date ________________________
Data Table 1: Spread of Antibiotic Resistance Simulation
Round
Your Number of Marbles
Yellow Marbles
Purple Marbles
Class Total Numbers of Bacteria ( bags)
Only yellow
Any purple marbles
Marbles
Initial
Round 1
Round 2
Data Table 2; Effect of Antibiotics on the Bacterial Population
Number of Dead Bacteria
Number of Live Bacteria
Percentage of Bacteria that
survived
Analysis Questions:
1. At the beginning of the exercise, how many of the bacteria contained plasmids with a gene for
antibiotic resistance?
2. At the end of round 1, how many of the bacteria contained plasmids with a gene for antibiotic
resistance?
3. At the end of round 2, how many of the bacteria contained plasmids with a gene for antibiotic
resistance?
4. Predict how many bacteria will have purple disks (plasmids with a gene for antibiotic resistance) if
you performed another round of exchanges.
5. In your own words, explain how antibiotic resistance is spread