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Transfer of plasmids between strains of Escherichia coli under rumen conditions
Author(s) -
Scott Karen P.,
Flint H.J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1995.tb02841.x
Subject(s) - rumen , escherichia coli , anaerobic exercise , biology , tetracycline , microbiology and biotechnology , food science , volatile fatty acids , plasmid , bacteria , propionate , strain (injury) , biochemistry , fermentation , antibiotics , dna , gene , physiology , genetics , anatomy
K. P. SCOTT AND H.J. FLINT. 1995. Strains of Escherichia coli originally isolated from the rumen of sheep were shown to be capable of exchanging a 60kb plasmid, conferring resistance to tetracycline and ampicillin, at low frequencies (below 10 ‐6 per recipient) under anaerobic conditions in the presence of (a) autoclaved and clarified rumen fluid, (b) raw clarified rumen fluid, or (c) whole rumen fluid. Under anaerobic conditions the two rumen strains showed no inhibition of growth rate when 50 mmol 1 ‐1 volatile fatty acids were added to LB medium at pH 7, although significant inhibition resulted with 100 mmol 1 ‐1 VFA. The two rumen strains, and four strains from the pig gut, showed less inhibition of anaerobic growth by volatile fatty acids than did three laboratory strains examined for comparison. These findings indicate that plasmid transfer between certain E. coli strains can occur under conditions that closely simulate an anaerobic gut environment.