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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2006, p. 3580-3587, Vol. 50, No. 11
0066-4804/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00562-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Multiple Genetic Elements Carry the Tetracycline Resistance Gene tet(W) in the Animal Pathogen Arcanobacterium pyogenes{triangledown}

Stephen J. Billington* and B. Helen Jost

Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721

Received 7 May 2006/ Returned for modification 14 July 2006/ Accepted 31 August 2006

The tet(W) gene is associated with tetracycline resistance in a wide range of bacterial species, including obligately anaerobic rumen bacteria and isolates from the human gut and oral mucosa. However, little is known about how this gene is disseminated and the types of genetic elements it is carried on. We examined tetracycline-resistant isolates of the animal commensal and opportunistic pathogen Arcanobacterium pyogenes, all of which carried tet(W), and identified three genetic elements designated ATE-1, ATE-2, and ATE-3. These elements were found in 25%, 35%, and 60% of tetracycline-resistant isolates, respectively, with some strains carrying both ATE-2 and ATE-3. ATE-1 shows characteristics of a mobilizable transposon, and the tet(W) genes from strains carrying this element can be transferred at low frequencies between A. pyogenes strains. ATE-2 has characteristics of a simple transposon, carrying only the resistance gene and a transposase, while in ATE-3, the tet(W) gene is associated with a streptomycin resistance gene that is 100% identical at the DNA level with the aadE gene from the Campylobacter jejuni plasmid pCG8245. Both ATE-2 and ATE-3 show evidence of being carried on larger genetic elements, but conjugation to other strains was not observed under the conditions tested. ATE-1 was preferentially associated with A. pyogenes strains of bovine origin, while ATE-2 and ATE-3 elements were primarily found in porcine isolates, suggesting that these elements may circulate in different environments. In addition, four alleles of the tet(W) gene, primarily associated with different elements, were detected among A. pyogenes isolates.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, The University of Arizona, 1117 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721. Phone: (520) 621-8641. Fax: (520) 621-6366. E-mail: sbilling{at}u.arizona.edu.

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 11 September 2006.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2006, p. 3580-3587, Vol. 50, No. 11
0066-4804/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00562-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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