Skip to main content
PMC home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1986 Jul;30(1):78–81. doi: 10.1128/aac.30.1.78

Heterogeneity of plasmids determining high-level resistance to gentamicin in clinical isolates of Streptococcus faecalis.

M J Zervos, T S Mikesell, D R Schaberg
PMCID: PMC176439  PMID: 3092734

Abstract

Between November 1981 and October 1984, 48 of 3,458 clinical isolates of Streptococcus faecalis at the University of Michigan Hospital showed high-level (greater than 2,000 micrograms/ml) resistance to gentamicin, as well as to all other clinically available aminoglycosides. Thirteen percent of clinical isolates in the University of Michigan Hospital currently demonstrate this level of resistance. Transfer of resistance to a plasmid-free streptococcal recipient was observed in filter matings for 44 of 48 such isolates. Analysis of transconjugants by agarose gel electrophoresis showed that gentamicin resistance was transferred alone in 8 isolates and was combined with other antimicrobial resistances on the same plasmid in the other 36 isolates. There were seven isolates which transferred the property of horse blood beta-hemolysis along with gentamicin resistance. Transfer of gentamicin resistance was either by conjugative plasmids or by a nonconjugative but mobilizable plasmid. Transfer frequencies on filters ranged from 4.7 X 10(-2) to 4.1 X 10(-8). Based on donor and transconjugant antibiotic resistance markers, agarose gel electrophoresis, transfer properties, and restriction enzyme analysis, the plasmid content of transconjugants was heterogeneous and could be classified into at least seven different patterns. These findings argue against clonal dissemination as the cause of the increased frequency of resistant strains and suggest that resistance to gentamicin appears on a variety of physically distinct conjugative and nonconjugative plasmids in S. faecalis.

Full text

PDF
78

Images in this article

80Image
on p.80

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Clewell D. B., An F. Y., White B. A., Gawron-Burke C. Streptococcus faecalis sex pheromone (cAM373) also produced by Staphylococcus aureus and identification of a conjugative transposon (Tn918). J Bacteriol. 1985 Jun;162(3):1212–1220. doi: 10.1128/jb.162.3.1212-1220.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Clewell D. B. Plasmids, drug resistance, and gene transfer in the genus Streptococcus. Microbiol Rev. 1981 Sep;45(3):409–436. doi: 10.1128/mr.45.3.409-436.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Clewell D. B., Tomich P. K., Gawron-Burke M. C., Franke A. E., Yagi Y., An F. Y. Mapping of Streptococcus faecalis plasmids pAD1 and pAD2 and studies relating to transposition of Tn917. J Bacteriol. 1982 Dec;152(3):1220–1230. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.3.1220-1230.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Combes T., Carlier C., Courvalin P. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme content of a multiply resistant strain of Streptococcus faecalis. J Antimicrob Chemother. 1983 Jan;11(1):41–47. doi: 10.1093/jac/11.1.41. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Courvalin P. M., Shaw W. V., Jacob A. E. Plasmid-mediated mechanisms of resistance to aminoglycoside-aminocyclitol antibiotics and to chloramphenicol in group D streptococci. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1978 May;13(5):716–725. doi: 10.1128/aac.13.5.716. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Courvalin P., Carlier C., Collatz E. Plasmid-mediated resistance to aminocyclitol antibiotics in group D streptococci. J Bacteriol. 1980 Aug;143(2):541–551. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.2.541-551.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dunny G. M., Craig R. A., Carron R. L., Clewell D. B. Plasmid transfer in Streptococcus faecalis: production of multiple sex pheromones by recipients. Plasmid. 1979 Jul;2(3):454–465. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(79)90029-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Forbes B. A., Schaberg D. R. Transfer of resistance plasmids from Staphylococcus epidermidis to Staphylococcus aureus: evidence for conjugative exchange of resistance. J Bacteriol. 1983 Feb;153(2):627–634. doi: 10.1128/jb.153.2.627-634.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Franke A. E., Clewell D. B. Evidence for a chromosome-borne resistance transposon (Tn916) in Streptococcus faecalis that is capable of "conjugal" transfer in the absence of a conjugative plasmid. J Bacteriol. 1981 Jan;145(1):494–502. doi: 10.1128/jb.145.1.494-502.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Horodniceanu T., Bougueleret L., El-Solh N., Bieth G., Delbos F. High-level, plasmid-borne resistance to gentamicin in Streptococcus faecalis subsp. zymogenes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1979 Nov;16(5):686–689. doi: 10.1128/aac.16.5.686. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jacob A. E., Douglas G. J., Hobbs S. J. Self-transferable plasmids determining the hemolysin and bacteriocin of Streptococcus faecalis var. zymogenes. J Bacteriol. 1975 Mar;121(3):863–872. doi: 10.1128/jb.121.3.863-872.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jacob A. E., Hobbs S. J. Conjugal transfer of plasmid-borne multiple antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus faecalis var. zymogenes. J Bacteriol. 1974 Feb;117(2):360–372. doi: 10.1128/jb.117.2.360-372.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Le Bouguenec C., Horodniceanu T. Conjugative R plasmids in Streptococcus faecium (group D). Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1982 May;21(5):698–705. doi: 10.1128/aac.21.5.698. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LeBlanc D. J., Lee L. N. Characterization of two tetracycline resistance determinants in Streptococcus faecalis JH1. J Bacteriol. 1982 May;150(2):835–843. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.2.835-843.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Macrina F. L., Wood P. H., Jones K. R. Simple method for demonstrating small plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid molecules in oral streptococci. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 May;39(5):1070–1073. doi: 10.1128/aem.39.5.1070-1073.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McHugh G. L., Swartz M. N. Elimination of plasmids from several bacterial species by novobiocin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Sep;12(3):423–426. doi: 10.1128/aac.12.3.423. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mederski-Samoraj B. D., Murray B. E. High-level resistance to gentamicin in clinical isolates of enterococci. J Infect Dis. 1983 Apr;147(4):751–757. doi: 10.1093/infdis/147.4.751. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Meyers J. A., Sanchez D., Elwell L. P., Falkow S. Simple agarose gel electrophoretic method for the identification and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1529–1537. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1529-1537.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Murray B. E., Tsao J., Panida J. Enterococci from Bangkok, Thailand, with high-level resistance to currently available aminoglycosides. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983 Jun;23(6):799–802. doi: 10.1128/aac.23.6.799. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Nachamkin I., Lynch J. R., Dalton H. P. Evaluation of a rapid system for species identification of alpha-hemolytic streptococci. J Clin Microbiol. 1982 Sep;16(3):521–524. doi: 10.1128/jcm.16.3.521-524.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Tomich P. K., An F. Y., Clewell D. B. Properties of erythromycin-inducible transposon Tn917 in Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1980 Mar;141(3):1366–1374. doi: 10.1128/jb.141.3.1366-1374.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Yagi Y., Kessler R. E., Shaw J. H., Lopatin D. E., An F., Clewell D. B. Plasmid content of Streptococcus faecalis strain 39-5 and identification of a pheromone (cPD1)-induced surface antigen. J Gen Microbiol. 1983 Apr;129(4):1207–1215. doi: 10.1099/00221287-129-4-1207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES