Transposable elements are also important in bacterial genetics. These are parts of DNA that "jump" from one place to another within a genome, and in doing so they cut and paste themselves or insert copies of themselves in new spots. In bacteria, transposable elements sometimes carry genes for antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity (genes that make bacteria disease). If one of these elements "jumps" from the chromosome into a plasmid, the genes can be easily passed on to other bacteria by conjugation or transformation. That means the genes can spread quickly through the population