Conjugal Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Plasmid of Different Bacterial Species Isolated from Patients Suffering from Diarrhea

The transfer ability of antibiotic resistance plasmid DNA in the bacterial species Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Salmonella spp., Enterobacter cloacae and Morganella morganii which previously isolated from patients suffering from diarrhea, has been examined via conjugation. Plasmid DNA from the first four species carrying resistance for ampicilin, chloramphenicol, gentamycin, erythromycin and tetracycline and for heavy metals (mercury chloride, cadmium chloride and silver nitrate) was found capable of transfer to the laboratory E. coil strain (JM83) by conjugation which became resistant to these antibiotics and drugs The plasmid DNA transfer has been confirmed by analyzing the plasmid DNA content of the JM83 transconjugant colonies using agarose gel electrophoresis where the plasmid profile revealed the existence of the transferred DNA plasmid in the recipient JM83cells.