R-PLASMIDS CODING FOR SUPRA-LEVELS OF GENTAMICIN, TOBRAMYCIN AND SISOMICIN RESISTANCE IN PROTEUS-MORGANII AND PROTEUS-MIRABILIS - HIGH-LEVEL RESISTANT STRAINS FROM 2 HOSPITALS

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 242  (2) , 222-227
Abstract
Transfer of high-level gentamicin-tobramycin-sisomycin resistance could be easily demonstrated in strains of P. morganii and P. mirabilis which appeared in 2 hospitals at the end of 1976. First such strains were demonstrated in a patient of a urological ward who died in Sept. 1976 from generalized sepsis coused by a high-level gentamycin-tobramycin-sisomycin-resistant P. morganii. Since that event, at least 9 such strains were isolated in 1976 and the presence of transferable resistance to the antibiotics listed plus other antibacterial substances including carbenicillin and more classical antibiotics could be demonstrated either by a high-frequency direct transfer to suitable recipient strains of gentamycin or tobramycin resistance, or by indirect selection, i.e., by analysis of exconjugants selected with kanamycin, streptomycin or carbenicillin. Further numerous strains of P. morganii highly resistant to gentamycin, tobramycin and sisomycin still emerge from wards in the 2 hospitals monitored and their transferability is under experimental study. It is stressed that, in order to demonstrate a transfer of gentamycin or tobramycin resistance in strains resistant to these substances, it is inevitable to also examine properly exconjugants showing direct transfer to other, more classical antibiotics. Prodromal signs of resistance to netilmycin or amikacin could not be demonstrated.

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