Fosfomycin resistance plasmids do not affect fosfomycin transport into Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli cells carrying fosfomycin resistance plasmids were able to take up fosfomycin from the medium to the same extent as plasmid-free bacteria. The antibiotic entered the plasmid-harboring cells by means of the glpT and uhp transport systems, as is the case with susceptible bacteria. Active fosfomycin could be detected in soluble extracts of cells which had previously been incubated in the presence of the antibiotic. Furthermore, fosfomycin resistance plasmids did not confer on E. coli cells resistance to the novel antibiotic FR-31564, which is incorporated by the same transport systems as fosfomycin. We conclude that, in contrast to chromosomal resistance mutants, altered transport does not play a role in the plasmid-encoded fosfomycin resistance mechanism.