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Distribution of streptothricin acetyltransferase encodi determinants among environmental bacteria
Author(s) -
SMALLA K.,
PRAGER R.,
ISEMANN M.,
PUKALL R.,
TIETZE E.,
ELSAS J. D. VAN,
TSCHÄPE H.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-294x.1993.tb00096.x
Subject(s) - biology , bacteria , plasmid , gene , transposable element , enterobacteriaceae , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , escherichia coli , genome
In this paper we report about a screening for streptothricin‐ (St)‐resistant phenotypes and genotypes among environmental bacteria from a St virgin area. St‐resistant bacteria were isolated from river water, sewage, manure and soil by selective plating. The resistance quotient was typical of an area without selective pressure. The occurrence of streptothricin acetyltransferase‐encoding determinants and their localization on a Tn7‐like transposon was tested by the application of a set of gene probes. Sat genes could be detected in 22.5% of the tested St‐resistant bacteria but in 100% of the checked Enterobacteriaceae. However, we could not detect sat genes in St‐resistant bacteria from soil samples. Surprisingly the sat genes were found to be located on conjugative or mobilizable plasmids for a rather high number of strains. The determined plasmid species and their restriction patterns showed a high degree of similarities to those observed from an area of strong selective pressure.