How can antibiotic resistance genes spread between bacteria?

How can antibiotic resistance genes spread between bacteria?

• A. Genes that confer resistance can only be passed vertically during replication.
• B. Genes that confer resistance can be transferred via plasmids through conjugation, transformation, and transduction.
• C. Resistance genes evaporate and disappear over time.
• D. Resistance genes are not mobile.

Answer: (B)

Spread of antibiotic resistance between bacteria mainly happens through horizontal gene transfer. Resistance genes can be carried on plasmids and moved from one bacterium to another via conjugation (direct cell-to-cell contact). They can also spread by transformation, when bacteria take up free DNA from their surroundings, or by transduction, where bacteriophages transfer genetic material between cells. This mobility lets resistance move quickly across different strains and even species, fueling rapid dissemination in microbial communities. Vertical inheritance during replication passes genes to offspring within a lineage but doesn’t explain spread across different cells. And resistance genes are often mobile, so the idea that they aren’t movable isn’t accurate.

Spread of antibiotic resistance between bacteria mainly happens through horizontal gene transfer. Resistance genes can be carried on plasmids and moved from one bacterium to another via conjugation (direct cell-to-cell contact). They can also spread by transformation, when bacteria take up free DNA from their surroundings, or by transduction, where bacteriophages transfer genetic material between cells. This mobility lets resistance move quickly across different strains and even species, fueling rapid dissemination in microbial communities. Vertical inheritance during replication passes genes to offspring within a lineage but doesn’t explain spread across different cells. And resistance genes are often mobile, so the idea that they aren’t movable isn’t accurate.