title: High-level tetracycline resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is result of acquisition of streptococcal tetM determinant.
abstract: Recently, strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae have been isolated which are highly resistant to tetracycline (MICs of 16 to 64 micrograms/ml). This resistance was due to the acquisition of the resistance determinant tetM, a transposon-borne determinant initially found in the genus Streptococcus and more recently in Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Gardnerella vaginalis. In N. gonorrhoeae, the tetM determinant was located on a 25.2-megadalton plasmid. This plasmid arose from the insertion of tetM into the 24.5-megadalton gonococcal conjugative plasmid. The tetM determinant could be transferred to suitable recipient strains of N. gonorrhoeae by both genetic transformation and conjugation.
mesh_terms: D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D011815:R Factors; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000235:genetics; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D013752:Tetracycline