Open AccessAerobactin production linked to transferable antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli strains isolated from sewage
Author(s) -
Gonzalo M.P.,
Martínez J.L.,
Baquero F.,
GómezLus R.,
PérezDíaz J.C.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1988.tb02911.x
Subject(s) - aerobactin , plasmid , escherichia coli , microbiology and biotechnology , antibiotic resistance , biology , antibiotics , enterobacteriaceae , bacteria , siderophore , sewage , gene , genetics , waste management , engineering
The production of aerobactin has been suggested to be a virulence factor in Escherichia coli . We have studied the production of aerobactin in 155 E. coli strains, isolated from sewage, which carry conjugative antibiotic resistance plasmids, and 88 (57%) of these strains produced aerobactin, and 59 (38%) co‐transferred production of the siderophore and antibiotic resistance. In 35 (22%) of the transconjugants, both characters seemed to be encoded into the same plasmid. Those aerobactin‐producing‐antibiotic resistance plasmids had different sizes and antibiotic resistance patterns. The ecological implications of these results are discussed.