Resistance to Apramycin in Two Enterobacterial Clinical Isolates: Detection of a 3-N-Acetyltransferase IV

Part of this work was presented at the 27th ICAAC, New York, USA, 1987.

Summary

Considering the possible role of farm animals in the contamination of human consumers by plasmid-mediated apramycin-resistant enterobacteria strains, this type of resistance should be tested more systematically in human isolates. Very recently we isolated in Zaragoza one apramycin-resistant Escheria coli strain obtained from the blood of a hospitalized patient; this clinical isolate produced a plasmid-mediated 3-N-aminoglycoside acetyltransferase IV. We describe also the isolation in Madrid of one multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical strain. This isolate harbored a single plasmid and carried determinants for apramycin, gentamicin, tobramycin, hygromycin B, streptomycin, and ampicillin, which could be transferred en bloc to E. coli K-12 J62. Extracts from donor and transconjugant strains carrying pUZ6776 plasmid produce acetyltransferase activity AAC(3)-IV and double phosphotransferase activity (HPH and APH(3“)).

Key words:

• apramycin-resistance
• clinical Enterobacteria
• 3-N-acetyltransferase

Notes

Part of this work was presented at the 27th ICAAC, New York, USA, 1987.