A bacterium attaches itself to the other strain, during conjugation with the help of ______

Explanation

To answer the question, "A bacterium attaches itself to the other strain during conjugation with the help of ______," we can follow these steps:

1. **Understanding Conjugation**: Conjugation is a process of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. It involves the transfer of genetic material from one bacterium (the donor) to another (the recipient).

2. **Identifying the Mechanism**: During conjugation, the donor bacterium needs to attach to the recipient bacterium to facilitate the transfer of genetic material.

3. **Role of Pili**: The structure that allows the donor bacterium to attach to the recipient bacterium is called pili (singular: pilus). These are hair-like appendages on the surface of bacteria.

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