GRE Reading Comprehension
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Source: NO3
The Food and Drug Administration has recently proposed severe restrictions on the use of antibiotics to promote the health and growth of meat animals. Medications added to feeds kill many microorganisms but also encourage the appearance of bacterial strains that are resistant to anti-infective drugs. Already, for example, penicillin and the tetracvlines are not as effective therapeutically as they once were. The drug resistance is chiefly conferred by tiny circlets of genes, called plasmids, that can be exchanged between different strains and even different species of bacteria. Plasmids are also one of the two kinds of vehicles (the other being viruses) that molecular biologists depend on when performing gene transplant experiments. Even present guidelines forbid the laboratory use of plasmids bearing genes for resistance to antibiotics. Yet, while congressional debate rages over whether or not to toughen these restrictions on scientists in their laboratories,little congressional attention has been focused on an ill-advised agricultural practice that produces known deleterious effects.
It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that those in favor of stiffening the restrictions on gene transplant research should logically also
- A encourage experiments with any plasmids except those bearing genes for antibiotic resistance
- B question the addition of anti-infective drugs to livestock feeds
- C resist the use of penicillin and tetracyc-lines to kill microorganisms
- D agree to the development of meatier live-stock through the use of antibiotics
- E favor congressional debate and discussion of all science and health issues