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Title: Linkage of mercury, cadmium, and arsenate and drug resistance in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Journal Article · · Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States)
OSTI ID:7282053

Many bacterial isolates are resistant to heavy metal ions. It is of interest that resistance to metals is mediated by the same plasmid that determines resistance to drugs. In the study, both metal and drug resistances were assayed in 787 pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from clinical lesions, and an attempt was made to demonstrate a relation between the two phenomena. The four metals tested (Hg, Cd, As, and Pb) were provided as HgCl/sub 2/, CdCl/sub 2/, Na/sub 2/HAsO/sub 4/, and Pb(CH/sub 3/COO)/sub 2/, respectively. Of the 787 isolates, 99.8% were metal resistant, with most (99.5%) showing multiple resistance. Fifty-three percent of the isolates were both metal and drug resistant, whereas only 19% were metal resistant and drug sensitive.

OSTI ID:
7282053
Journal Information:
Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States), Vol. 33:4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English