Bacterial conjugation (IMAGE)

University of Maryland Baltimore County

Bacterial conjugation

Caption

Bacterial cells (black outlines) contain plasmids (red) in addition to their main genome (green). A conjugative plasmid can transfer genetic material between cells as shown here, which can spread antibiotic resistance genes among species. In a new study in Antibiotics, researchers used a novel computational technique to investigate the origin and spread of antibiotic resistance genes. They found that genes on conjugative plasmids were most likely to spread, as were highly specialized resistance genes.

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Zappy's Technology Solutions

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