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Conjugal transfer of antibiotic resistances and plasmids from Campylobacter jejuni clinical isolates

A Ansary1, S Radu

  • 1Department of Genetics and Cellular Biology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|March 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

This study found that Campylobacter jejuni clinical isolates commonly carry plasmids conferring multiple antibiotic resistances. These resistances were frequently transferred together during conjugation experiments.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide.
  • Antibiotic resistance in C. jejuni is a growing public health concern.
  • Plasmids are known to play a role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and characteristics of plasmids in C. jejuni clinical isolates.
  • To determine the association between plasmids and antibiotic resistance.
  • To assess the conjugal transfer of antibiotic resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of plasmids from C. jejuni clinical isolates.
  • Antibiotic susceptibility testing.
  • Conjugation experiments to evaluate the transfer of resistance.

Main Results:

  • All six C. jejuni isolates contained three similar plasmids (78 kb, 12.6 kb, and 3.3 kb).
  • Multiple antibiotic resistances were common, with tetracycline resistance being most prevalent.
  • En bloc transfer of donor resistances occurred at frequencies of 10(-8) to 10(-4) during conjugation.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmids in C. jejuni clinical isolates are associated with multiple antibiotic resistances.
  • Conjugal transfer facilitates the spread of antibiotic resistance within C. jejuni populations.
  • plasmid-mediated resistance transfer can be complex, with instances of resistance loss or plasmid absence in transconjugants.

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