Open AccessConjugal transfer of the vancomycin resistance determinant vanB between enterococci involves the movement of large genetic elements from chromosome to chromosome
Author(s) -
Quintiliani Richard,
Courvalin Patrice
Publication year - 1994
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.1574-6968.1994.tb06913.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetics , chromosome , teicoplanin , gene , enterococcus , horizontal gene transfer , southern blot , pulsed field gel electrophoresis , dna–dna hybridization , streptococcaceae , microbiology and biotechnology , vancomycin , bacteria , genome , genotype , staphylococcus aureus
Resistance to various levels of vancomycin and susceptibility to teicoplanin in enterococci (VanB phenotype) is mediated by the vanB gene cluster. VanB‐type resistance was transferred by intra‐ and inter‐specific conjugation between different strains of Enterococcus . Analysis of S?i I‐digested genomic DNA by zero integrated‐field electrophoresis followed by Southern hybridization revealed vanB ‐containing chromosomal insertions of approximately 90–250 kb in the transconjugants. Thus, transfer of VanB‐type resistance is associated with the movement of large genetic elements from chromosome to chromosome.