Transferable resistance factors with mutator effect in Salmonella typhi

David Sompolinsky, Miriam Ben-Yakov, Mordehai Aboud, Ida Boldur

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Strains of Salmonella typhi with different combinations of drug resistance were isolated from samples of feces from one patient. An analysis showed resistance to be caused by two transferable resistance factors, one carrying resistance to chloramphenicol (Cm) and dihydrostreptomycin (Sm), the other to tetracycline (Tc) alone, or to Tc and Sm. Cultures of S. typhi, S. typhimurium and Escherichia coli infected with these resistance factors were genetically unstable, showing high mutability to increased levels of resistance. The high resistance level of the mutants was transferred by conjugation. Plasmid elimination resulted in the loss of this resistance as well as of the high mutability. Results obtained with cultures infected simultaneously with two plasmids indicated that recombination between the Sm loci is possible. The investigation shows that mutations occur on the plasmids, and not as a consequence of interference with the bacterial nucleus.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)119-127
Number of pages9
JournalMutation Research - Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis
Volume4
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1967

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
A part of this investigation was supported by a grant 5/E-5 from the Israel Ford Foundation.

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