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Gonococcal conjunctivitis is a major preventable cause of blindness in newborns so if there is a known risk of transmitting gonorrhoea, prophylactic silver nitrate or other medications may be applied to the baby's eyes immediately after birth. Because of the risks of vertical transmission, doctors recommend that pregnant women have at least one test for gonorrhea during pregnancy. Protecting against gonorrhea Proper use of barrier contraceptives such as the latex condoms will significantly reduce the risk of getting gonorrhea and its complications. As gonorrhea is mainly spread through sexual intercourse, sexual abstinence can prevent it entirely. The ability of Agrobacterium to transfer genes to plants has been exploited for genetic engineering for plant improvement. A modified Ti or Ri plasmid can be used. The plasmid is 'disarmed' by deletion of the tumor inducing genes, the only essential parts of the T-DNA are its two small (25 base pair) border repeats, at least one of which is needed for plant transformation. A team of researchers led by Dr Mary-Dell Chilton were the first to demonstrate that the virulence genes could be removed without adversely affecting the ability of Agrobacterium to insert its own DNA into the plant genome. The genes to be introduced into the plant are cloned into the plasmid, the plasmid will also contain a selectable marker, like an antibiotic resistance to enable selection for plants that have been successfully transformed. Plants are grown on media containing antibiotic following transformation, those that have not had the plasmid DNA integrated into their genome will die. Click on following items to see more information: Antibacterial, Antibiotic, Antibiotic treatment, Antibacterial, Bacilli, Bacterium, Bacterium, Bacterium, Phages, Biodegradation, Campylobacter, Cell culture, Cholera, Corynebacteria, E. coli, E. coli, E. coli, E. coli, E. coli, E. coli, Erythromycin, Flavobacteria, Yeast, Growth medium, Klebsiella, Meningococci, Bacterial, Micrococcus, Multidrug resistance, Pasteurella, Prokaryote, P. aeruginosa, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Salmonella, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella, S. aureus, Streptococcus, Streptococcus, Vibrio, Yeast Beijerinck discovered that by adding or removing certain compounds from the medium or incubating under different conditions, it was possible to favor the growth of certain microbes and prevent the growth of others. An example is Beijerinck's work with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which are important in agriculture and the global cycling of nitrogen. They are capable of taking nitrogen gas (N2) from the air and reducing it to ammonia (NH3). This is an important property since reduced nitrogen compounds such as ammonia are the only compounds most organisms, including agriculturally important plants, are able to use as a nitrogen source. Biotechnology in one form or another has flourished since prehistoric times. When the first human beings realized that they could plant their own crops and breed their own animals, they learned to use biotechnology. The discovery that fruit juices fermented into wine, or that milk could be converted into cheese or yogurt, or that beer could be made by fermenting solutions of malt and hops began the study of biotechnology. When the first bakers found that they could make a soft, spongy bread rather than a firm, thin cracker, they were acting as fledgling biotechnologists. The first animal breeders, realizing that different physical traits could be either magnified or lost by mating appropriate pairs of animals, engaged in the manipulations of biotechnology.
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