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Concordance of heavy metal and antibiotic resistance on plasmids of Chesapeake Bay bacteria. Technical report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6187775

Antibiotic-resistant and heavy metal-resistant phenotypic frequency was measured in Chesapeake Bay bacterial strains obtained from Bay sites differing significantly in water quality. The phenotypes were estimated from dose-response curves using direct plating, replica plating, and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Resistant and sensitive organisms could be distinguished by concentrations of twenty micrograms per milliliter for various antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline), and of 0.05 millimolar for the heavy metals tested (cadmium, mercury, nickel, and lead). Individual resistance phenotypes of 1816 isolates were determined with the replica technique, with 85% resistant to at least one antibiotic and a surprising 2% resistant to all six drugs tested. Occurrence of resistant organisms did not correlate with water quality, sampling location, season, sample type, or physical parameters of the site. Ninety-two percent of organisms examined were resistant to at least one metal studied, with 43% resistant to all metals, but resistance did not correlate with any station or sample parameters. Metal and drug resistant phenotypes did correlate positively with one another, but these two traits were not appreciably linked on plasmid DNA.

Research Organization:
Maryland Univ., College Park (USA). Water Resources Research Center
OSTI ID:
6187775
Report Number(s):
PB-81-127532
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

560302* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Microorganisms-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS
ANTIBIOTICS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BACTERIA
BAYS
BIOASSAY
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CADMIUM
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CHESAPEAKE BAY
CORRELATIONS
DRUGS
ELEMENTS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
LEAD
MERCURY
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
NICKEL
PESTICIDES
PLASMIDS
POLLUTION
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TOLERANCE
TOXICITY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WATER POLLUTION