Conjugation has classically been considered a bacterium-to-bacterium DNA transfer driven by the donor cell and is typically plasmid-encoded. Theoretically it is possible that any type of cell can ...

Genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can spread from microbe to microbe through circular genetic material called plasmids, and this lateral transfer occurs in the gut. This week in ...

In lab experiments, bacteria transferred plasmids with AMR genes in the presence of zinc at reduced or nonexistent rates. Stopping the transfer without killing microbes may help reduce AMR without ...

Bacterial blushing: Donor (red) bacteria have a repressor that blocks red fluorescent protein (RFP). Following conjugation, a bacterium (indicated by the arrow) that lacks the repressor receives the ...

This figure illustrates how bacteria in water environments redistribute their limited energy when exposed to zinc oxide (ZnO). The model shows that ZnO exposure reduces the energy available for ...