Basic aspects of bacterial transformation

Abstract

To survive under different environmental stresses, such as antibiotic stress and DNA damage, bacteria have evolved a mechanism to naturally convert and take up potentially useful foreign genes from nearby strains. Goal: to evaluate the natural mechanism of bacterial transformation and and its applicative value. Conclusion: natural bacterial transformation enables bacteria to acquire new genetic traits and to adapt to changing environmental conditions, promoting, for example, resistance to antibiotics and evasion of vaccines.