You are a volunteer for Nurses Without Borders and are being sent to a country in Africa. You are excited, because you will have opportunities to go on safari, but you are also somewhat concerned because you have learned from the CDC website that there is currently cholera in the country to which you are going. Patients with cholera experience vomiting and severe diarrhea, producing several liters of liquid stool in a day. This results in signs of dehydration, including sunken eyes, muscle cramps, and in a few cases, convulsions and death. Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. You make a list of questions about V. cholerae that you answer with the help of your nursing school study group.
-The signs and symptoms of cholera are caused by cholera toxin that is synthesized and secreted by the bacteria. The toxin causes chloride and other electrolytes to leave the intestinal cells. Water follows the electrolytes, resulting in an outpouring of water into the intestinal lumen. The gene for cholera toxin is a bacteriophage gene. This situation is an example of ________.
A) lysogenic conversion
B) DNA-mediated transformation
C) mutation
D) vertical gene transfer
E) indirect selection

Question

You are a volunteer for Nurses Without Borders and are being sent to a country in Africa. You are excited, because you will have opportunities to go on safari, but you are also somewhat concerned because you have learned from the CDC website that there is currently cholera in the country to which you are going. Patients with cholera experience vomiting and severe diarrhea, producing several liters of liquid stool in a day. This results in signs of dehydration, including sunken eyes, muscle cramps, and in a few cases, convulsions and death. Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. You make a list of questions about V. cholerae that you answer with the help of your nursing school study group.
-The signs and symptoms of cholera are caused by cholera toxin that is synthesized and secreted by the bacteria. The toxin causes chloride and other electrolytes to leave the intestinal cells. Water follows the electrolytes, resulting in an outpouring of water into the intestinal lumen. The gene for cholera toxin is a bacteriophage gene. This situation is an example of ________.
A) lysogenic conversion
B) DNA-mediated transformation
C) mutation
D) vertical gene transfer
E) indirect selection

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lysogenic conversion occurs when a bacteriophage integrates its genome into the host bacterium's genome, leading to the expression of new genes in the host cell. In this case, the gene for cholera toxin is carried by a bacteriophage and is integrated into the V. cholerae genome, leading to the expression of the toxin and the symptoms of cholera.

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