You are a volunteer for Nurses Without Borders and are being sent on a humanitarian mission. You are somewhat concerned because you have learned from the CDC website that antibiotic-resistant Haemophilus influenzae is common in the country to which you are being sent. This encapsulated, Gram-negative bacterium can cause a variety of illnesses, including community-acquired pneumonia. You do some research on the genetics of this pathogen.
-What concerns you most about the strain of H. influenzae that you may be exposed to while you are away is antibiotic resistance. The genes for resistance can be acquired by this organism as naked DNA from the environment, an example of
A) conjugation.
B) transformation.
C) induced mutation.
D) vertical gene transfer.
E) transduction.

Question

You are a volunteer for Nurses Without Borders and are being sent on a humanitarian mission. You are somewhat concerned because you have learned from the CDC website that antibiotic-resistant Haemophilus influenzae is common in the country to which you are being sent. This encapsulated, Gram-negative bacterium can cause a variety of illnesses, including community-acquired pneumonia. You do some research on the genetics of this pathogen. 
-What concerns you most about the strain of H. influenzae that you may be exposed to while you are away is antibiotic resistance. The genes for resistance can be acquired by this organism as naked DNA from the environment, an example of
A) conjugation.
B) transformation.
C) induced mutation.
D) vertical gene transfer.
E) transduction.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Naked DNA uptake by bacterial cells is known as transformation. H. influenzae can acquire the genes for antibiotic resistance through this process. Conjugation involves the transfer of DNA through cell-to-cell contact, transduction involves bacteria-specific viruses transferring DNA, and induced mutation and vertical gene transfer are not relevant processes for this scenario.

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