[Extrachromosomal antibiotic resistance of the intestinal bacterial flora. I. Prevalence. Role of the ingestion of exogenous bacteria (author's transl)].

Studies on the antibiotic resistance of bacterial flora isolated from stool, over these last ten years, have shown an increase of resistant strains to antibiotics. This resistance may depend on genes localized on the chromosome, or more frequently on extra-chromosomic DNA (R plasmid) which carries resistance to several antibiotic groups and which is spreading. The origin of multiple resistant bacteria could be twofold. The only one, which is considered in this paper, is the intake of exogenous bacteria already resistant and carried in food: beef, pork, chicken, having had some form of antibiotics--either supplementation to feeding to improve growth-or for prophylactic or therapeutic purposes.