In miliary tuberculosis, the infection is disseminated through the body. Nerve damage leads to a loss of sensation, and ultimately to paralysis. This can lead to tissue damage that can lead to the loss of fingers and toes. The bacterial chromosomal DNA is located in a region of the cell known as the nucleoid . Bacteria, being prokaryotes , do not have a true, membrane-bound nucleus.
Bacteria carry a single chromosome that is circular in structure.
Additional genetic information may be carried on plasmids . Plasmids carry genes that are typically not essential for survival, but that can confer selective advantages in special circumstances. Not all bacterial cells carry plasmids, but some can carry several plasmids in a single cell. R-factors are plasmids that carry genes that confer antibiotic resistance on the cell. Toxins are sometimes coded for by plasmid genes.