Which of the Following is a Way to Prevent Attenuation

Question

Which of the following is a way to prevent attenuation and maintain virulence in a bacterium?
A) laboratory subculture
B) inoculating an animal with the bacterium
C) polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
D) antibiotic therapy

Accepted Answer

Inoculating an animal with the bacterium allows for the bacterium to maintain virulence because it is being put into a host environment where it can continue to replicate and express its virulence factors. Laboratory subculture can cause attenuation, which is the loss of virulence over time as the bacterium is repeatedly cultured in a lab environment. PCR is a technique used to amplify DNA and has no impact on virulence. Antibiotic therapy is used to treat bacterial infections and can actually decrease virulence by killing off the bacteria.