Answer to Question #214869 in Cell Biology for Natalie Malz

Question

Individual bacterial cells may have plasmids with the genes that protect the bacterial cells from antibiotics. Explain how this trait may be passed on to other bacterial cells in the colony

Answer 1

Plasmids can transfer between different bacteria. This means that a bacterium can become resistant to multiple antibiotics at once by picking up a single plasmid. They then become multidrug-resistant. Furthermore, genes that influence bacterial virulence are also frequently found on plasmids.