Question

Disease-causing bacteria often attach to cells they attack. The bacterial structures used to aid that attachment are ________.

A. flagella
B. fimbriae
C. sex pili
D. cilia

Answer 1

Disease-causing bacteria use fimbriae to attach to host cells. These short bristle-like proteins are essential for bacterial adherence and colonization but are distinct from pili, which are involved in DNA transfer, and flagella, which aid in locomotion.

Step-by-step explanation:

These are short, bristle-like proteins that project from the bacterial cell surface and are present by the hundreds. Fimbriae allow bacteria to adhere to surfaces, which is crucial for pathogenic bacteria to colonize host cells and thereby establish infections. They are also important for the formation of biofilms. While pili and flagella are other appendages found on bacteria, they serve different functions. Pili, such as the F pilus or sex pilus, are involved in the transfer of DNA between bacterial cells, and flagella are primarily used for locomotion.