title: Probability of establishing chimeric plasmids in natural populations of bacteria.
abstract: Formulas for estimating the probability that chimeric plasmids carried by disarmed hosts will become established in natural populations of bacteria are presented and their use illustrated with a series of realistic numerical examples. The implications of these a priori probability estimates for the problem of containment for recombinant DNA research is discussed.
mesh_terms: D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D004274:DNA, Recombinant / Q000378:metabolism*; D005111:Extrachromosomal Inheritance; D008954:Models, Biological; D010957:Plasmids; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004274:DNA, Recombinant