Question

As a scientist working for an anti-bioterrorism task force, you are asked to evaluate some biological samples for the presence of Yersinia pestis, the organism that causes the plague. After confirming that the samples do contain Y. pestis, you instruct your team to begin sequencing the strain. Since the genome sequence of Y. pestis is already known, why would sequencing this strain be useful?A. to confirm the original genome sequence and gather possible information on the origin of the strainB. to establish the course of infection and determine whether the strain has been genetically engineeredC. to gather possible information on the origin of the strain and determine whether the strain has been genetically engineeredD. to establish the SNPs necessary to confirm infection from this strain

Answer 1

Answer:

C: To gather possible information on the origin of the strain and determine whether the strain has been genetically engineered.

Explanation:

If the strain was genetically engineered, there would be some evidence of that in the strain itself. Geneticists are able to rearrange genes in diseases to change their function and activity. This means they can also make the disease more deadly, and any evidence of genetic engineering will be spotted if the whole genome is coded again. The origin can also be determined using its mutation patterns and what kind of host the disease was taken from.