Question

What do you think would happen if an Asiatic Streptococcus strain acquired genetic information from a European Streptococcus by means of a plasmid, integrated it into a CRISPR array, and then was shipped on a load of “active culture” Yak milk to London?

Answer 1

What would happen would ultimately depend on the virility and the pathogenicity of the asiatic streptococcal strain. It would also depend on what genetic information is transferred from teh european strain to the asiatic strain, whether it codes for a harmless metabolic protein or a toxin.

As soon as the genetic information is integrated into the CRISPR array, it provides the Asiatic strain an immunity to the foreign genetic element. It means that if the asiatic strain ever encounters the same genetic information (that it got from the european strain), it would not only be immune to it, but also target and destroy similar virulent factors.

Since the modified Asiatic strain was shipped on a load of 'active culture' Yak Milk to London. It can act as a very good Probiotic drink that can provide immunity to the consumer against the toxin or bacteria that contains the genetic information similar to that integrated into the CRISPR array of the Asiatic streptococcus strain.