In Vivo Transfer of an R-Plasmid in a Urinary Tract Infection Model

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Abstract
With the increased use of antibiotics in urinary tract infections, the appearance of resistant organisms has also increased. We demonstrated transfer of an R-factor in vitro at a transfer frequency rate of 0.5 to 1.0 .times. 10-7 and in vivo rate of 5 .times. 10-2. When urine was used instead of nutrient broth as the medium for in vitro transfer, recombinants were not recovered. Transfer of R-plasmids between bacterial strains is thought to be the primary mechanism by which antibiotic resistance has fluorished in bacterial populations and the finding of transfer in an active infection shows that exogenous organisms may contribute to the development of resistance. This mechanism is thought to be responsible for hospital and community outbreaks of infection with infectious organisms.