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Researchers from the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology point out that conjugative plasmids, which contain tra genes, perform the complex process of conjugation, the transfer of plasmids to another bacterium. Conjugative plasmids are a part of the bacterial DNA, and plasmids can only exist and multiply within cells. These plasmids use the cell's machinery and can then move to another cell. The result is the spread of bacteria. The team used advanced DNA analysis to investigate IncP—1 plasmids, a group of the known carriers of antibiotic resistance genes. They mapped the origin of various IncP—1 plasmids and their mobility among different bacterial species.
Not only does this show very good adaptability, but it also suggests that these plasmids can move relatively freely among, and flourish in, widely differing bacterial species.
P. Norberg, M. Bergström, V. Jethava, D. Dubhashi, M. Hermansson. Bacteria and antibiotic resistance: the role of IncP-1 plasmids. Euroepan Research Headlines.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/headlines
