A hypothetical bacterium swims among human intestinal contents until it finds a suitable location on the intestinal lining. It adheres to the intestinal lining using a feature that also protects it from phagocytes, bacteriophages, and dehydration. Faecal matter from a human in whose intestine this bacterium lives can spread the bacterium, even after being mixed with water and boiled. The bacterium is not susceptible to the penicillin family of antibiotics. It contains no plasmids and relatively little peptidoglycan. This bacterium derives nutrition by digesting human intestinal contents. Thus, this bacterium is an ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bacterium in the scenario obtains its nutrition by digesting human intestinal contents, indicating that it is a heterotroph. Additionally, it is described as lacking plasmids and containing relatively little peptidoglycan, which are characteristics commonly found in gram-negative bacteria. The bacterium is also resistant to penicillin, which further supports the idea that it is a gram-negative bacterium with an outer membrane that prevents the antibiotic from reaching its target. This bacterium is also able to withstand boiling, which indicates the presence of spores, but no information has been provided about the oxygen requirements of the bacterium. Therefore, the best choice for this bacterium is option C - anaerobic chemoheterotroph.

A Hypothetical Bacterium Swims Among Human Intestinal Contents Until It