Many bacteria are able to pass small pieces of the hereditary information on their DNA from one bacterial cell to another. This can sometimes result in an increase in the number of drug-resistant bacteria. What name is given to the process by which one bacteria transfers DNA to another?
There are two ways bacterial cells can pass DNA along. The first is Transformation which is the transfer of exogenous genetic material from one bacterial cell to another. The second way is Conjugation. Conjugation is the direct transfer between two bacterial cells, and requires one of the cells to have a pilus or pili.
Conjugation is the process by which some pieces of bacterial DNA are transferred from one bacteria to another. Conjugation occurs when a small tube is built connecting the two cells
