Absence of plasmid or Escherichia coli K-12 infection among laboratory personnel engaged in R-plasmid research

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Faeces of laboratory workers who handled nalidixic acid-resistant Escherichia coli K-12 and R plasmids with multiple drug resistance markers were monitored every 2 or 3 days for over a 2-year period. Neither the K-12 bacteria nor any of these plasmids were ever found in the faeces. Since these R-plasmids are transmission-proficient and the work was carried out without any special precautions, one may conclude that there is not likely to be any practical risk for transmission of recombinant DNA when cloned in currently used transmission-deficient plasmids or E. coli K-12.