title: Mercuric reductase gene transfer from soil to rumen bacteria.
abstract: Conjugal transfer between soil bacterial population and microorganisms isolated from the rumen of herbivores from mercury-polluted area was investigated. The transfer of merA encoding mercury-resistance plasmids from soil bacteria Enterobacter cloacae and Enterococcus durans into two ruminal isolates Citrobacter freundii and Bacillus subtilis was observed. Approximately the same frequency of mobilization in mating experiments was observed for both Gram-negative (approximately 2.5 x 10(-8), transconjugants-to-recipient ratio) and Gram-positive (approximately 1.3 x 10(-8)) bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Kosice, Slovakia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tóthová
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pristas
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Javorský
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D016971:Citrobacter freundii / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Q000235:genetics*; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012417:Rumen / Q000382:microbiology*; D012756:Sheep / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D018154:Slovakia; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C021551:mercuric reductase; D008628:Mercury