A colony of Staphylococcus aureus displays increased resistance to a novel antibiotic after co-existing with Enterococcus faecalis within a wound. Which mechanism explains this adaptation?

💡 Explanation

Horizontal gene transfer explains the adaptation because resistance plasmids can be transferred between bacteria, even of different species. Therefore, S. aureus acquired resistance genes from E. faecalis, rather than developing novel mutations or metabolic changes in response.

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