Skip to main content
PMC home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1992 Feb;36(2):463–466. doi: 10.1128/aac.36.2.463

Genetic basis of tetracycline resistance in clinical isolates of Listeria monocytogenes.

C Poyart-Salmeron 1, P Trieu-Cuot 1, C Carlier 1, A MacGowan 1, J McLauchlin 1, P Courvalin 1
PMCID: PMC188458  PMID: 1605611

Abstract

The genetic basis of tetracycline resistance was studied in 25 clinical isolates of Listeria monocytogenes. Resistance to tetracycline was associated with resistance to minocycline and due to the presence of the tet(M) gene in 24 strains. Association of tet(M) with int-Tn, the gene encoding the protein required for the movements of Tn1545-like conjugative transposons, was found in all strains. Cotransfer of tet(M) and int-Tn among L. monocytogenes cells and from L. monocytogenes to Enterococcus faecalis was detected in 7 of the 12 strains studied at frequencies similar to those obtained with the prototype element Tn1545. tet(L), the second most prevalent tetracycline resistance gene in enterococci and streptococci, was detected in the remaining strain, where it was borne by a 5-kb plasmid. These observations indicate that two types of movable genetic elements, transposons and plasmids, in enterococci and streptococci are responsible for emergence of drug resistance in L. monocytogenes.

Full text

PDF
465

Images in this article

465Image
on p.465

Selected References

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

  1. Abraham L. J., Berryman D. I., Rood J. I. Hybridization analysis of the class P tetracycline resistance determinant from the Clostridium perfringens R-plasmid, pCW3. Plasmid. 1988 Mar;19(2):113–120. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(88)90050-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bismuth R., Zilhao R., Sakamoto H., Guesdon J. L., Courvalin P. Gene heterogeneity for tetracycline resistance in Staphylococcus spp. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1990 Aug;34(8):1611–1614. doi: 10.1128/aac.34.8.1611. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Courvalin P., Carlier C. Transposable multiple antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mol Gen Genet. 1986 Nov;205(2):291–297. doi: 10.1007/BF00430441. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cruz-Rodz A. L., Gilmore M. S. High efficiency introduction of plasmid DNA into glycine treated Enterococcus faecalis by electroporation. Mol Gen Genet. 1990 Oct;224(1):152–154. doi: 10.1007/BF00259462. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Doucet-Populaire F., Trieu-Cuot P., Dosbaa I., Andremont A., Courvalin P. Inducible transfer of conjugative transposon Tn1545 from Enterococcus faecalis to Listeria monocytogenes in the digestive tracts of gnotobiotic mice. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1991 Jan;35(1):185–187. doi: 10.1128/aac.35.1.185. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gaillard J. L., Berche P., Sansonetti P. Transposon mutagenesis as a tool to study the role of hemolysin in the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes. Infect Immun. 1986 Apr;52(1):50–55. doi: 10.1128/iai.52.1.50-55.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gellin B. G., Broome C. V. Listeriosis. JAMA. 1989 Mar 3;261(9):1313–1320. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gibbs J. B. Ras C-terminal processing enzymes--new drug targets? Cell. 1991 Apr 5;65(1):1–4. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90352-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gruss A., Ehrlich S. D. The family of highly interrelated single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid plasmids. Microbiol Rev. 1989 Jun;53(2):231–241. doi: 10.1128/mr.53.2.231-241.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hoshino T., Ikeda T., Tomizuka N., Furukawa K. Nucleotide sequence of the tetracycline resistance gene of pTHT15, a thermophilic Bacillus plasmid: comparison with staphylococcal TcR controls. Gene. 1985;37(1-3):131–138. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(85)90265-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hächler H., Kayser F. H., Berger-Bächi B. Homology of a transferable tetracycline resistance determinant of Clostridium difficile with Streptococcus (Enterococcus) faecalis transposon Tn916. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1987 Jul;31(7):1033–1038. doi: 10.1128/aac.31.7.1033. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kampelmacher E. H., van Noorle Jansen L. M. Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from faeces of clinically healthy humans and animals. Zentralbl Bakteriol Orig. 1969;211(3):353–359. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Khan S. A., Novick R. P. Complete nucleotide sequence of pT181, a tetracycline-resistance plasmid from Staphylococcus aureus. Plasmid. 1983 Nov;10(3):251–259. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(83)90039-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kvenberg J. E. Outbreaks of listeriosis/Listeria-contaminated foods. Microbiol Sci. 1988 Dec;5(12):355–358. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MacGowan A. P., Holt H. A., Bywater M. J., Reeves D. S. In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Listeria monocytogenes isolated in the UK and other Listeria species. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1990 Oct;9(10):767–770. doi: 10.1007/BF02184692. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. MacGowen A. P., Reeves D. S., McLauchlin J. Antibiotic resistance of Listeria monocytogenes. Lancet. 1990 Aug 25;336(8713):513–514. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Martin P., Trieu-Cuot P., Courvalin P. Nucleotide sequence of the tetM tetracycline resistance determinant of the streptococcal conjugative shuttle transposon Tn1545. Nucleic Acids Res. 1986 Sep 11;14(17):7047–7058. doi: 10.1093/nar/14.17.7047. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McLauchlin J. Distribution of serovars of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from different categories of patients with listeriosis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1990 Mar;9(3):210–213. doi: 10.1007/BF01963840. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Messing J. New M13 vectors for cloning. Methods Enzymol. 1983;101:20–78. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)01005-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Mullany P., Wilks M., Lamb I., Clayton C., Wren B., Tabaqchali S. Genetic analysis of a tetracycline resistance element from Clostridium difficile and its conjugal transfer to and from Bacillus subtilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1990 Jul;136(7):1343–1349. doi: 10.1099/00221287-136-7-1343. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Patterson J. E., Wanger A., Zscheck K. K., Zervos M. J., Murray B. E. Molecular epidemiology of beta-lactamase-producing enterococci. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1990 Feb;34(2):302–305. doi: 10.1128/aac.34.2.302. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Poyart-Salmeron C., Carlier C., Trieu-Cuot P., Courtieu A. L., Courvalin P. Transferable plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance in Listeria monocytogenes. Lancet. 1990 Jun 16;335(8703):1422–1426. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(90)91447-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Poyart-Salmeron C., Trieu-Cuot P., Carlier C., Courvalin P. Molecular characterization of two proteins involved in the excision of the conjugative transposon Tn1545: homologies with other site-specific recombinases. EMBO J. 1989 Aug;8(8):2425–2433. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb08373.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Poyart-Salmeron C., Trieu-Cuot P., Carlier C., Courvalin P. Nucleotide sequences specific for Tn1545-like conjugative transposons in pneumococci and staphylococci resistant to tetracycline. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1991 Aug;35(8):1657–1660. doi: 10.1128/aac.35.8.1657. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Pérez-Díaz J. C., Vicente M. F., Baquero F. Plasmids in Listeria. Plasmid. 1982 Sep;8(2):112–118. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(82)90049-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Quentin C., Thibaut M. C., Horovitz J., Bebear C. Multiresistant strain of Listeria monocytogenes in septic abortion. Lancet. 1990 Aug 11;336(8711):375–375. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(90)91916-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Rice L. B., Eliopoulos G. M., Wennersten C., Goldmann D., Jacoby G. A., Moellering R. C., Jr Chromosomally mediated beta-lactamase production and gentamicin resistance in Enterococcus faecalis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1991 Feb;35(2):272–276. doi: 10.1128/aac.35.2.272. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Roberts M. C. Characterization of the Tet M determinants in urogenital and respiratory bacteria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1990 Mar;34(3):476–478. doi: 10.1128/aac.34.3.476. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Roberts M. C., Hillier S. L., Hale J., Holmes K. K., Kenny G. E. Tetracycline resistance and tetM in pathogenic urogenital bacteria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1986 Nov;30(5):810–812. doi: 10.1128/aac.30.5.810. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Storrs M. J., Poyart-Salmeron C., Trieu-Cuot P., Courvalin P. Conjugative transposition of Tn916 requires the excisive and integrative activities of the transposon-encoded integrase. J Bacteriol. 1991 Jul;173(14):4347–4352. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.14.4347-4352.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Trieu-Cuot P., Carlier C., Courvalin P. Conjugative plasmid transfer from Enterococcus faecalis to Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1988 Sep;170(9):4388–4391. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.9.4388-4391.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Zilhao R., Papadopoulou B., Courvalin P. Occurrence of the Campylobacter resistance gene tetO in Enterococcus and Streptococcus spp. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1988 Dec;32(12):1793–1796. doi: 10.1128/aac.32.12.1793. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES