Abstract
The complete nucleotide sequences of lincomycin-resistance gene (lnuA)-containing plasmids in Staphylococcus equorum strains isolated from the high-salt-fermented seafood jeotgal were determined. These plasmids, designated pSELNU1–3, are 2638-bp long, have two polymorphic sites, and encode typical elements found in plasmids that replicate via a rolling-circle mechanism including the replication protein gene (rep), a double-stranded origin of replication, a single-stranded origin of replication, and counter-transcribed RNA sequence, as well as lnuA. Plasmid sequences exhibit over 83% identity to other Staphylococcus plasmids that harbor rep and lnuA genes. Further, three pairs of identified direct repeats may be involved in inter-plasmid recombination. One plasmid, pSELNU1, was successfully transferred to other Staphylococcus species, Enterococcus faecalis, and Tetragenococcus halophilus in vitro. Antibiotic susceptibility of the transconjugants was host-dependent, and transconjugants maintained a lincomycin resistance phenotype in the absence of selective pressure over 60 generations.
Highlights
The widespread use of antibiotics that prevent or treat bacterial infection has contributed to an increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment, clinical settings, and in the food chain
Sequence analyses reveal that these plasmids contain elements that are typical of plasmids that replicate via a rolling-circle mechanism: the entire replication protein gene, a double-stranded origin of replication, a single-stranded origin of replication, and counter-transcribed RNA sequence, together with the lnuA gene (Fig 1 and S2 Fig)
The nucleotide sequences of pSELNU1, pSELNU2, and pSELNU3 have been deposited in the GenBank database under accession numbers KP178913, KP178914, and KP178915
Summary
The widespread use of antibiotics that prevent or treat bacterial infection has contributed to an increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment, clinical settings, and in the food chain. Togay et al [1] have reported that 32% and 24% of Enterococcus faecium isolates found in Turkish fermented foods exhibit resistance to tetracycline and kanamycin, respectively. Fermented foods act as reservoirs and vehicles for large populations of living bacteria and have been proposed as a possible source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria [4,5,6]. In support of this hypothesis, Gazzola et al [7] demonstrated horizontal transfer of conjugative plasmids and PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0140190. In support of this hypothesis, Gazzola et al [7] demonstrated horizontal transfer of conjugative plasmids and PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0140190 October 8, 2015
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