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Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Detection of Horizontal Gene Transfer Mediated by Natural Conjugative Plasmids in E. coli
Published on: March 24, 2023
Isolation and characterization of novel plasmid-dependent phages infecting bacteria carrying diverse conjugative
Boris Parra1,2,3, Bastiaan Cockx1, Veronika T Lutz4
1Department of Environmental Engineering and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark , Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
Importance:
This work was undertaken because plasmid-dependent phages can reduce the prevalence of conjugative plasmids and can be leveraged to prevent the acquisition and dissemination of ARGs by bacteria. The two novel phages described in this study, Lu221 and Hi226, can infect Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Kluyvera sp. and Enterobacter sp. carrying conjugative plasmids. This was verified with plasmids carrying resistance determinants and belonging to the most common plasmid families among Gram-negative pathogens. Therefore, the newly isolated phages could have the potential to help control the spread of ARGs and thus help combat the antimicrobial resistance crisis.
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