L-32 Flashcards
What are the details of the bacterial genome?
Typically have a singular circular chromosome, no nuclear membrane. Plasmids found in the cytosol
What are the two methods of bacterial gene transfer?
Horizontal and vertical
What is horizontal gene transfer?
Transference of genes directly from one organism to another
What is vertical gene transfer?
Gene transfer from parents to offspring
What are the two important attributes transferred horizontally by bacteria?
- virulence factors
- antibiotic resistance
What are virulence factors?
Attributes that help bacteria survive in the host, sometimes at a cost to the host.
What is an example of a virulence factor in bacteria?
Capsules of streptococcus pneumonia
What is antibiotic resistance bacterial attributes?
Attributes that reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics against the targeted bacteria.
What is an example of antibiotic resistance attributes in bacteria?
The plasmid carrying the beta-lactomase enzyme which inactivates penicillin
What are the 3 types of horizontal gene transfer?
- transformation
- transduction
- conjugation
What occurs during transformation horizontal gene transfer?
Uptake of short fragments of naked DNA (from dead bacteria) by naturally transformable bacteria
What occurs during transduction horizontal gene transfer?
Transfer of DNA from one bacterium into another via bacteriophages and always occurs by mistake
What occurs during conjugation horizontal gene transfer?
transfer of DNA material via a sex pilus and requires cell to cell contact
What is phage therapy?
Therapeutic use of bacteriophages to treat pathogenic bacterial infections
What are the advantages of bacteriophage therapy?
- very specific (affects only targeted bacterial species)
- replicate at the site of infection
- occurs naturally (easy to locate)
- safe (no known adverse side affects)
- active against antibiotic resistant bacteria
