Reference no: EM132669421

These elements are transferred between organisms through different mechanisms, which in prokaryotes include transformation, conjugation, and transduction.

a) Explain each of these mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria, describing the manner in which the DNA can be transferred from one cell to another.

b) Choose a disease or an organism that has a well-documented mechanism of resistance (such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus - MRSA or tuberculosis) and see if you can identify the gene or genes that confer resistance and the method of DNA transfer thought to contribute to its spread. This may be from one organism to another or may simply be passed down from mother to daughter cell due to environmental pressure.

c) Explain the danger that antibiotic resistance poses in today's society.

d) Consider how man has contributed to this and suggest any strategies that you think may be able to halt it or prevent its expansion