Distribution of the ermG Gene among Bacterial Isolates from Porcine Intestinal Contents

• Published in: Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2005-08, Vol.71 (8), p.4930-4934
• Main Authors: Wang, Yanping, Wang, Gui-Rong, Shoemaker, Nadja B, Whitehead, Terence R, Salyers, Abigail A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibiotic resistance; Bacillus sphaericus; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacteriology; Bacteroides; Biological and medical sciences; Clostridium; Clostridium - drug effects; Clostridium - genetics; Clostridium - isolation & purification; Conjugation, Genetic; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Transposable Elements; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; ermG gene; Erythromycin - pharmacology; Feces; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastrointestinal Contents - microbiology; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Genes; Genetics; Gram-Positive Bacteria - drug effects; Gram-Positive Bacteria - genetics; Gram-Positive Bacteria - isolation & purification; intestinal microorganisms; macrolide antibiotics; Microbial Ecology; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleotide sequences; pig manure; Staphylococcus - drug effects; Staphylococcus - genetics; Staphylococcus - isolation & purification; Staphylococcus warneri; swine; Swine - microbiology; Tetracycline - pharmacology; Tetracycline Resistance - genetics; transposons
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336
• DOI: 10.1128/AEM.71.8.4930-4934.2005

The ermG gene was first found in the soil bacterium Bacillus sphaericus. More recently, it was found in several human intestinal Bacteroides species. We report here the first finding of ermG genes in gram-positive bacteria isolated from porcine feces and from under-barn manure pits used to store porcine wastes. The porcine ermG sequences were identical to the sequence of the B. sphaericus ermG gene except that six of the seven ermG-containing strains contained an insertion sequence element insertion in the C-terminal end of the gene. The porcine ermG genes were found in three different gram-positive genera, an indication that it is possible that the gene is being spread by horizontal gene transfer. A segment of a Bacteroides conjugative transposon that carries an ermG gene cross-hybridized with DNA from six of the seven porcine isolates, but the restriction patterns in the porcine strains were different from that of the Bacteroides conjugative transposon.