To increase the proportion of auxotrophic mutants in a population of bacteria, one may use
A) direct selection.
B) replica plating.
C) penicillin enrichment.
D) individual transfer.
E) mutant reversion.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Penicillin enrichment is a method used to increase the proportion of auxotrophic mutants in a population of bacteria. It works by selectively killing the normal, non-mutant (prototrophic) bacteria that can synthesize their own growth factors, while the auxotrophic mutants, which cannot grow without the addition of specific nutrients, are not affected by penicillin and thus survive and become enriched in the population.

To Increase the Proportion of Auxotrophic Mutants in a Population