Spontaneous & Gametic Mutation Rates

   Bacterial mutation rates are readily measured at the colony level: reversion of auxotrophic strains that require a particular amino acid to autotrophy can be measured as colony counts on non-supplemented media. 

    The table includes gametic mutation rates for three relatively common human DNA-based conditions; the first two behave as dominant traits, for which rates are more readily measured. Rates vary among populations, which may be attributed to differences in efficiency of DNA repair mechanisms. Non-inherited somatic mutation rates (e.g., for various form of cancer) are higher.