Unknown bacteria are cultured from a scaly patch on the skin's surface.Upon further characterization, they are found to contain half the DNA of most bacteria and are not affected by the application of penicillin.Based on these two criteria, you conclude these bacteria are
A) mycoplasmas.
B) actinobacteria.
C) prokaryotic archaea.
D) cyanobacteria.
E) spirochetes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mycoplasmas are bacteria that have the smallest known genome size and lack a cell wall, resulting in them having half the DNA of most bacteria. They are also known for being resistant to penicillin due to the lack of a cell wall. Therefore, these two criteria point to the unknown bacteria being mycoplasmas. The other choices do not fit both criteria.

Unknown Bacteria Are Cultured from a Scaly Patch on the Skin's