Berg G, Trevors J T
Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
J Ind Microbiol. 1990 Apr-May;5(2-3):79-84. doi: 10.1007/BF01573856.
Experiments conducted in microcosms containing loam soil samples inoculated with either E. coli or Pseudomonas spp. donor and recipient cells showed that bacterial cells survived and conjugated over a 24-h incubation period. E. coli transconjugants were detected 6 h after donor and recipient strains were introduced into sterile soil samples. In non-sterile soil samples, transconjugants were detected between 8 and 24 h incubation. Pseudomonas transconjugants were recovered from sterile soil samples between 6 and 12 h after their introduction and as early as 2 h in non-sterile soil. The results show that genetic interactions occur in non-sterile soil in relatively short periods of time at relatively high transfer frequencies (10(-3) to 10(-4]. Studies on genetic interactions in soil are becoming necessary in risk assessment/environmental impact studies prior to the release of genetically engineered or modified organisms into uncontained environments.
