Can bacteria mutate? how?

Yes, when there are several different types living together somewhere, one kind usually does better. And they have plasmids containing genertic materials that help them cope with their surroundings. Often they trade these with each other, sometimes even species to species rather than just within species.





They also mutate in response to chemicals and radiation. Maybe all die except for the one mutating bacterium, but then it grows. This happens when people abuse antibiotic treatments or do not complete them. A big example is NYC drug addicts with HIV and TB. It's hard enough to kill TB if they complete their treatment, but when they stop after only one or two weeks, the TB recovers from the antibiotics used and develops resistance to them, producing MDRTB (multiply drug resistant TB) or if it is already MDRTB, it gets even more resistance to the latest ones for MDRTB. Also a big problem in Russian prisons and drug abusers.





The exact details are very long to answer here, but you can find out more on this subject at:





http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultrane...





Also in the masterpiece best selling book, THE COMING PLAGUE, by Laurie Garrett, available in paperback now at any good bookstore. This is a VERY GOOD BOOK, far better than any best seller in this category, including by M.D. or PhD authors. In other words, I am telling you the author did more work, and better work on this than supposed experts have done. She gets PhD in Public Health *** laude from me.





I use both references, AND you haven't seen anything yet, just wait a very few more years, less than five, my friend.

Can bacteria mutate? how?
yes. They mutate to keep up with changes in their envorment
Reply:Yes and they do constantly.


Their DNA is attacked by environmental chemicals and toxins and background radio-activity.


Most mutations die off but there are so many bacteria that some will survive and reproduce.
Reply:Not as fast as viruses, but they do mutate. In fact, many are now resistant to antibiotics becasue of mutation. The non-resistant ones die off, leaving the resistant ones to prosper. Natural selection in a nutshell.
Reply:how i understand bacteria mutatin is mutation as in resistance to antibiotics. bacteria like all cells have organelles. one of which is the endoplasmic reticulum. there r two types of these namely smooth and rough ER. the sER is involved in drug detoxification and synthesis so when there is bacteria lets say within the stomach and we take drugs for this bacteria to kill it. it might work the first time but later on the bacterias sER will begin to adapt to the drug taken and soon it will b immune to the drug. that in itself is a mutation of the original bacteria to suit its environment in order to survive.