title: Concomitant antibiotic and mercury resistance among gastrointestinal microflora of feral brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis.
abstract: Twenty-nine bacterial isolates representing eight genera from the gastrointestinal tracts of feral brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell) demonstrated multiple maximal antibiotic resistances and concomitant broad-spectrum mercury (Hg) resistance. Equivalent viable plate counts on tryptic soy agar supplemented with either 0 or 25 μM HgCl(2) verified the ubiquity of mercury resistance in this microbial environment. Mercury levels in lake water samples measured 1.5 ng L(-1); mercury concentrations in fish filets ranged from 81.8 to 1,080 ng g(-1) and correlated with fish length. The presence of similar antibiotic and Hg resistance patterns in multiple genera of gastrointestinal microflora supports a growing body of research that multiple selective genes can be transferred horizontally in the presence of an unrelated individual selective pressure. We present data that bioaccumulation of non-point source Hg pollution could be a selective pressure to accumulate both antibiotic and Hg resistant bacteria.
authors: Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, ME 04901, USA.
authors: Matthew M
authors: MM
authors: Meredith
authors: Erin M
authors: EM
authors: Parry
authors: Justin A
authors: JA
authors: Guay
authors: Nicholas O
authors: NO
authors: Markham
authors: G Russell
authors: GR
authors: Danner
authors: Keith A
authors: KA
authors: Johnson
authors: Tamar
authors: T
authors: Barkay
authors: Frank A
authors: FA
authors: Fekete
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D008628:Mercury / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014337:Trout / Q000382:microbiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury