Question

In 1976, an outbreak of pulmonary infections among participants at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia led to the identification of a new disease, Legionnaire's disease. The bacterium responsible for the disease had never before been known to be pathogenic. From your knowledge of bacterial genetics, can you postulate how it might have acquired the ability to cause disease

Answer 1

Answer:

Evolution.

Explanation:

It might have acquired the ability to cause disease due to evolution. Due to evolution, the harmless bacteria can turn into infectious pathogens that cause diseases. Evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations due to the process of natural selection. This evolution in the bacteria occurs due to changing of environmental conditions which changes the genetic makeup of that harmless bacteria and turn into infectious pathogen.