Plasmid profiling and curing of Lactobacillus strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of chicken.
In this study, we assessed the susceptibility of 12 Lactobacillus strains, all of which had been isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of chicken, to three antibiotics (chloramphenicol, erythromycin and tetracycline) used commonly as selective markers in transformation studies of lactic acid bacteria. Among these strains, 17%, 58%, and 25% were found to exhibit a high degree of resistance to 200 microg/ml of tetracycline, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol, respectively. Seven of the 12 Lactobacillus strains exhibiting resistance to at least 50 microg/ml of chloramphenicol or erythromycin, and five strains exhibiting resistance to at least 50 microg/ml of tetracycline, were subsequently subjected to plasmid curing with chemical curing agents, such as novobiocin, acriflavin, SDS, and ethidium bromide. In no cases did the antibiotic resistance of these strains prove to be curable, with the exception of the erythromycin resistance exhibited by five Lactobacillus strains (L. acidophilus I16 and I26, L. fermentum I24 and C17, and L. brevis C10). Analysis of the plasmid profiles of these five cured derivatives revealed that all of the derivatives, except for L. acidophilus I16, possessed profiles similar to those of wild-type strains. The curing of L. acidophilus I16 was accompanied by the loss of 4.4 kb, 6.1 kb, and 11.5 kb plasmids.
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. sieo@putra.upm.edu.my
Sieo Chin
SC
Chin
Norhani
N
Abdullah
Tan Wen
TW
Siang
Ho Yin
HY
Wan
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D002701:Chloramphenicol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004996:Ethidium / Q000494:pharmacology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010957:Plasmids / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D004917:Erythromycin; D002701:Chloramphenicol; D004996:Ethidium; D013752:Tetracycline