Question

If a nonpathogenic bacterium were to acquire resistance to antibiotics, could this strain pose a health risk to people? In general, how does DNA transfer among bacteria affect the spread of resistance genes?

Short answer

Yes, the acquisition of antibiotic resistance by a non-pathogenic bacterium can increase health risks. The resistance strain can be transferred from this non-pathogenic bacterium to a pathogenic bacterium and result in increased pathogenicity of the pathogenic bacteria.

The mechanism of genetic recombination (conjugation, transformation, and conjugation) would increase the spread of resistance strain from one bacterium to the majority of the population or other bacterial groups.

Step-by-step solution

Bacterial infections

Bacterial members are grouped as pathogenic (the members that cause infection) and non-pathogenic (not involved in infectious diseases). The pathogenic bacteria have the ability to harm both animals and plants, and the infections caused by them are termed bacterial infections.

Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotics are drugs designed specifically to reduce bacterial infections and their harmful impact on the infected host. The genome of bacteria is highly diverse and has the potential to modify in such a manner that it gets resistant to the impact of antibiotics.

If a non-pathogenic bacterium acquires a genomic sequence that provides resistance to antibiotics, it can transfer this sequence to pathogenic bacterial groups. The acquisition of resistance strain by the pathogenic group would enhance their pathogenicity.

The increased pathogenicity would result in a higher occurrence of infections and so would increase the health risk.

Transfer of resistance gene

Bacterial members have three methods for transferring their genome or part of the genome: transformation, conjugation, and transduction. All three methods account for rapid genetic recombination, and by using any of these methods, the resistance gene could be rapidly spread among the bacterial population.