Skip to main content
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1978 Sep;14(3):348–352. doi: 10.1128/aac.14.3.348

Partial Characterization of R-Plasmids from Pasteurella multocida Isolated from Turkeys

Stephen M Berman 1, Dwight C Hirsh 1
PMCID: PMC352463  PMID: 708012

Abstract

Pasteurella multocida, isolated from turkeys during an outbreak of septicemic disease (“fowl cholera”), was found to be resistant to tetracycline, streptomycin, and sulfonamides. Agarose gel electrophoretic analysis of DNA from these isolates indicated the presence of extrachromosomal elements. Plasmid DNA was isolated by cesium chloride-ethidium bromide density centrifugation. Escherichia coli was transformed to antimicrobic resistance with this DNA. Two plasmids were isolated. One of these plasmids had a buoyant density of 1.7158 g/cm3 (56.9 mol% guanine plus cytosine) and a molecular weight of 4.4 × 106 and conferred resistance to tetracycline, streptomycin, and sulfonamides. The other, having a buoyant density of 1.7198 g/cm3 (61 mol% guanine plus cytosine) and a molecular weight of 3.44 × 106, conferred resistance to streptomycin and sulfonamides. Streptomycin resistance was mediated by streptomycin phosphotransferase. Compatibility group testing indicated that neither plasmid belonged to any of 13 compatibility groups (of conjugal plasmids). Both plasmids were also found to be compatible with three small, nonconjugative resistance plasmids.

Full text

PDF
348

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Anderson E. S. The ecology of transferable drug resistance in the enterobacteria. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1968;22:131–180. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.22.100168.001023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benveniste R., Davies J. Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Annu Rev Biochem. 1973;42:471–506. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.42.070173.002351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Benveniste R., Yamada T., Davies J. Enzymatic Adenylylation of Streptomycin and Spectinomycin by R-Factor-Resistant Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1970 Jan;1(1):109–119. doi: 10.1128/iai.1.1.109-119.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chang W. H., Carter G. R. Multiple drug resistance in Pasteurella multocida and Pasteurella haemolytica from cattle and swine. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1976 Oct 1;169(7):710–712. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Coetzee J. N., Datta N., Hedges R. W. R factors from Proteus rettgeri. J Gen Microbiol. 1972 Oct;72(3):543–552. doi: 10.1099/00221287-72-3-543. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cohen S. N., Chang A. C., Hsu L. Nonchromosomal antibiotic resistance in bacteria: genetic transformation of Escherichia coli by R-factor DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Aug;69(8):2110–2114. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.8.2110. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Datta N., Hedges R. W. Host ranges of R factors. J Gen Microbiol. 1972 May;70(3):453–460. doi: 10.1099/00221287-70-3-453. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Elwell L. P., De Graaff J., Seibert D., Falkow S. Plasmid-linked ampicillin resistance in haempohilus influenza type b. Infect Immun. 1975 Aug;12(2):404–410. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.2.404-410.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Elwell L. P., Roberts M., Mayer L. W., Falkow S. Plasmid-mediated beta-lactamase production in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Mar;11(3):528–533. doi: 10.1128/aac.11.3.528. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Grinter N. J., Barth P. T. Characterization of SmSu plasmids by restriction endonuclease cleavage and compatibility testing. J Bacteriol. 1976 Oct;128(1):394–400. doi: 10.1128/jb.128.1.394-400.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Guerry P., van Embden J., Falkow S. Molecular nature of two nonconjugative plasmids carrying drug resistance genes. J Bacteriol. 1974 Feb;117(2):619–630. doi: 10.1128/jb.117.2.619-630.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hedges R. W. R factors from Providence. J Gen Microbiol. 1974 Mar;81(1):171–181. doi: 10.1099/00221287-81-1-171. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Heffron F., Rubens C., Falkow S. Translocation of a plasmid DNA sequence which mediates ampicillin resistance: molecular nature and specificity of insertion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Sep;72(9):3623–3627. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.9.3623. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Heffron F., Sublett R., Hedges R. W., Jacob A., Falkow S. Origin of the TEM-beta-lactamase gene found on plasmids. J Bacteriol. 1975 Apr;122(1):250–256. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.1.250-256.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lang D. Molecular weights of coliphages and coliphage DNA. 3. Contour length and molecular weight of DNA from bacteriophages T4, T5 and T7, and from bovine papilloma virus. J Mol Biol. 1970 Dec 28;54(3):557–565. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(70)90126-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lowbury E. J., Babb J. R., Roe E. Clearance from a hospital of gram-negative bacilli that transfer carbenicillin-resistance to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Lancet. 1972 Nov 4;2(7784):941–945. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)92469-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Macrina F. L., Reider J. L., Virgili S. S., Kopecko D. J. Survey of the extrachromosomal gene pool of Streptococcus mutans. Infect Immun. 1977 Jul;17(1):215–226. doi: 10.1128/iai.17.1.215-226.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mercer H. D., Pocurull D., Gaines S., Wilson S., Bennett J. V. Characteristics of antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli from animals: relationship to veterinary and management uses of antimicrobial agents. Appl Microbiol. 1971 Oct;22(4):700–705. doi: 10.1128/am.22.4.700-705.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. 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]
  20. Nossal N. G., Heppel L. A. The release of enzymes by osmotic shock from Escherichia coli in exponential phase. J Biol Chem. 1966 Jul 10;241(13):3055–3062. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Novick R. P., Bouanchaud D. The problems of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. Extrachromosomal nature of drug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1971 Jun 11;182:279–294. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1971.tb30664.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Ozanne B., Benveniste R., Tipper D., Davies J. Aminoglycoside antibiotics: inactivation by phosphorylation in Escherichia coli carrying R factors. J Bacteriol. 1969 Nov;100(2):1144–1146. doi: 10.1128/jb.100.2.1144-1146.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. SCHILDKRAUT C. L., MARMUR J., DOTY P. Determination of the base composition of deoxyribonucleic acid from its buoyant density in CsCl. J Mol Biol. 1962 Jun;4:430–443. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(62)80100-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES