What type of acquired resistance involves the mutation being passed from parent to offspring?

The type of acquired resistance that involves mutations being passed from parent to offspring is vertical gene transfer. This process occurs during reproduction when genetic material is inherited from the parents to their progeny. For bacteria, this typically occurs through binary fission, where a single bacterial cell divides to form two genetically identical daughter cells, thereby passing on any genetic mutations that may confer resistance to antibiotics, for example.

This type of transfer contrasts with horizontal gene transfer, which involves the transfer of genetic material between organisms in a manner other than traditional reproduction. Lateral gene transfer (which is often synonymous with horizontal gene transfer) typically involves mechanisms such as transformation, transduction, or conjugation, allowing for genetic material to be shared among different species or strains, but it does not involve the direct lineage from parent to offspring.

Transpositional gene transfer refers to the movement of DNA sequences (transposons) within or between genomes, but it does not specifically describe the passing of mutations from parent to offspring in the direct lineage context.

Thus, vertical gene transfer accurately describes the process of acquiring resistance through mutations being inherited from parent organisms to their offspring.