Marcinek, Herbert and Wirth, Reinhard and Muscholl-Silberhorn, Albrecht and Gauer, Matthias (1998) Enterococcus faecalis gene transfer under natural conditions in municipal sewage water treatment plants. APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, 64 (2). pp. 626-632. ISSN 0099-2240, 1098-5336
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
The ability of Enterococcus faecalis to transfer various genetic elements under natural conditions was tested in two municipal sewage water treatment plants. Experiments in activated sludge basins of the plants were performed in a microcosm which allowed us to work under sterile conditions; experiments in anoxic sludge digesters were performed in dialysis bags. We used the following naturally occurring genetic elements: pAD1 and pIP1017 (two so-called sex pheromone plasmids with restricted host ranges, which are transferred at high rates under laboratory conditions); pIP501 (a resistance plasmid possessing a broad host range for gram-positive bacteria, which is transferred at low rates under laboratory conditions); and Tn916 (a conjugative transposon which is transferred under laboratory conditions at low rates to gram-positive bacteria and at very low rates to gram-negative bacteria). The transfer rate between different strains of E. faecalis under natural conditions was, compared to that under laboratory conditions, at least 10(5)-fold lower for the sex pheromone plasmids, at least 100-fold lower for pIP501, and at least 10-fold lower for Tn916. In no case was transfer from E. faecalis to another bacterial species detected. By determining the dependence of transfer rates for pIP1017 on bacterial concentration and extrapolating to actual concentrations in the sewage water treatment plant, we calculated that the maximum number of transfer events for the sex pheromone plasmids between different strains of E. faecalis in the municipal sewage water treatment plant of the city of Regensburg ranged from 10(5) to 10(8) events per 4 h, indicating that gene transfer should take place under natural conditions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | MULTIPLE-DRUG RESISTANCE; T-DNA TRANSFER; STREPTOCOCCUS-FAECALIS; TRANSPOSON TN916; ESCHERICHIA-COLI; PLASMID TRANSFER; AGGREGATION SUBSTANCE; CONJUGAL TRANSFER; R-PLASMIDS; BACTERIA |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 570 Life sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Biochemie, Genetik und Mikrobiologie > Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie (Archaeenzentrum) > Prof. Dr. Reinhard Wirth |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Feb 2023 09:24 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Feb 2023 09:24 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/50092 |
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