A bacterial population treated with antibiotics exhibits increasing resistance. Which mechanism explains the rapid spread of resistance genes across diverse bacterial species within the gut microbiome?

💡 Explanation

Horizontal gene transfer facilitates the swift dissemination of resistance genes because plasmids, carrying these genes, transfer between bacteria, rather than resistance arising solely from mutations within a single species. Therefore, plasmid-mediated transfer rapidly spreads resistance, rather than relying on slow, species-specific mutation and selection.

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