Question

. Imagine the following scenario. A bacteriophage taken for the treatment of cholera infects a cholera-causing bacterium and temporarily enters the lysogenic stage. When the virus re-enters the lytic cycle, it includes some pieces of the bacterial DNA in its own genome. Specifcally, this DNA encodes information for making the cholera toxin. Imagine some of the possible consequences of this scenario. What will happen to the next bacteria that the virus infects

Answer 1

Answer:

The virus will transfer the DNA encoding cholera toxin to the next bacteria it infects, which will make that bacteria cholera-causing.

Explanation:

The process described in this question is a kind of gene transfer in bacteria called TRANSDUCTION. Transduction is the transfer of fragments of DNA from one bacterium to another via a virus called bacteriophage.

As stated in this question, the virus (bacteriophage) infects a cholera-causing bacterium. The bacteriophage moves from lysogenic cycle to lytic cycle and includes some pieces of the bacterial DNA, which encodes information for making the cholera toxin, in its own genome.

This means that the cholera-making toxin DNA is now a part of the virus's genome and hence, will transfer it to the next bacteria it infects in a process called TRANSDUCTION. This will make that bacteria a cholera causing bacteria.