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Biological Chemistry

Drug Resistance Is Evolution

April 26, 2010 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 88, Issue 17

Creationists claim that random mutations cannot account for the complexity of life. The article "A New Facet of Drug Resistance" indicates otherwise (C&EN, Feb. 22, page 10). It deals with a Boston University study reporting that exposure to low levels of an antibiotic can produce multidrug resistance in bacteria via gene damage by reactive oxygen species and DNA repair errors. The resultant mutant bacteria have an evolutionary advantage produced randomly and are a serious clinical problem.

Burton Kallman
Torrance, Calif.

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