What is the process by which bacteria divide?

Bacteria commonly divide by binary fission, an asexual process in which one cell separates into two daughter cells. Each daughter receives a copy of the bacterium’s genetic material.

Before division, the bacterial chromosome is replicated. The two DNA copies move toward opposite regions of the cell while the cell elongates. A protein called FtsZ assembles into a ring near the middle, helping organize construction of a dividing wall and membrane. The completed septum splits the parent cell into two new cells.

Binary fission does not involve a nucleus or the mitotic spindle found in eukaryotic mitosis. Under suitable conditions, the daughter cells can grow and divide again, producing rapid population increases. Some Escherichia coli cells, for example, can divide roughly every 20 minutes at 37°C, although actual rates depend on nutrients and other environmental factors.

Budding and fragmentation occur in some microorganisms, so binary fission is not an absolute rule for every bacterium. Nevertheless, it is the standard and canonical answer for the usual biology question about bacterial division. Meiosis is a eukaryotic process that produces sex cells, not the normal reproductive method of bacteria.