title: Spread of a single plasmid clone to an untreated individual from a person receiving prolonged tetracycline therapy.
abstract: The aerobic gram-negative intestinal flora of two individuals living in close proximity was followed for 17 months. One of these persons was receiving a prolonged tetracycline treatment for acne vulgaris and was colonized by tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli strains throughout the survey. The other person studied received no antibiotics during the period in question, but was frequently found to excrete a number of E. coli strains harboring tetracycline-resistant plasmids. The two E. coli strains (O75.H7 and O23.H16) excreted from both persons most frequently were indistinguishable, and so were the R-plasmids they carried. This suggests that R-plasmid-carrying E. coli may spread from individuals under treatment to close relatives that have not been treated.
mesh_terms: D001434:Bacteriophage Typing; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010641:Phenotype; D011815:R Factors; D012703:Serotyping; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D013752:Tetracycline