What causes antibiotic resistance to spread rapidly in a bacterial population via horizontal gene transfer when exposed to a beta-lactam antibiotic?

💡 Explanation

Horizontal gene transfer, specifically conjugative plasmid transfer, allows bacteria to share resistance genes. Because beta-lactam antibiotics select for resistant strains, the spread of resistance is accelerated; therefore, plasmid transfer explains the increased resistance, rather than mutation or membrane changes under selection pressure.

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