[Study of the transmissibility of multiple drug resistance and the capacity to ferment lactose in a clinical strain of Kl. pneumoniae].

The donor properties of K. pneumoniae PI 220 with multiple drug resistance were studied. It was shown that the above strain carried 2 plasmids, i.e. R-plasmid pPI 220 controling resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, kanamycin and sulphanylamides and plasmid pPI 221 controlling lactose fermentation. Both plasmids can be transfered on conjugation to strain E. coli P678 at a temperture of 28 degrees C at a rate of 10(-5) for pPI 220 and 10(-4) for pPI 221. The drug resistance controlled by pPI 221 was transfered mainly in a "blocks" simultaneously to 6 drugs. Deletion of plasmid pPI 220 was observed rarely. The donor properties of the strain were defined by the conjugative plasmid pPI 220 controlling the self-transfer and mobilization of plasmid pPI 221 incapable of the self-transfer. E. coli P678 (pPI 220) (PPI 221) acquired the donor properties and transfered both plasmids to E. coli J62 on crossing simultaneously at a rate of 10(-2), as well as to S. typhimurium LT2 and P. rettgeri at a rate of 10(-5). In all the recipient strains studied the transfered plasmids were unstable and segregated also simultaneously at a rate being the highest for P. retgari PI 230. The clones with stable preservation of the plasmids could be obtained by selection.