A microbiologist is working with two separate cultures of the same organism. The bacteria in one culture are resistant to penicillin, whereas the bacteria in the other culture are susceptible to penicillin. The bacteria from both cultures are mixed together, and all the resulting bacteria are resistant to penicillin. What caused this phenomenon?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most likely explanation for the phenomenon is that the plasmid carrying the resistance gene was transferred from the resistant population of bacteria to the susceptible population of bacteria, resulting in all the bacteria becoming resistant to penicillin. Plasmid transfer is a common mechanism for horizontal gene transfer in bacteria, and can occur through processes such as conjugation, transformation, or transduction. In this case, it is likely that the resistant bacteria were able to transfer the plasmid carrying the resistance gene to the susceptible bacteria, resulting in the acquisition of resistance by the entire population.

A Microbiologist Is Working with Two Separate Cultures of the Same