Once again, the challenge is to translate sloppy shorthand into technically accurate explanations for what is going on…

As microbes evolve, they adapt to their environment. If something stops them from growing and spreading—such as an antimicrobial—they evolve new mechanisms to resist the antimicrobials by changing their genetic structure. Changing the genetic structure ensures that the offspring of the resistant microbes are also resistant.

http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/antimicrobialResistance/Understanding/history.htm

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