Articles

• Plasmids are small circular pieces of DNA. • Plasmids are the main vehicles for gene transfer among bacteria. • It plays a significant role in facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. • Plasmids frequently carry genes that code for proteins capable of neutralizing or blocking the effects of antibiotics, such as beta-lactamase and efflux pumps. • They can carry and transfer genes that confer resistance to various antibiotics through several mechanisms: the direct carrying of resistant genes, the process of horizontal gene transfer, the influence of selection pressure, and the development of multidrug resistance.