Conjugation typically involves a donor bacterium with a conjugative plasmid, such as the F (fertility) plasmid, and a recipient bacterium that lacks this plasmid. The donor bacterium forms a pilus, a tube-like structure, which attaches to the recipient bacterium. The plasmid DNA is then transferred through the pilus. Once inside the recipient, the plasmid can replicate and express its genes, potentially conferring new traits such as drug resistance.
