Isolation of plasmids encoding tetracycline resistance from Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from simians.

Fifteen isolates of tetracycline-resistant Campylobacter jejuni were recovered from stool samples of cynomologous monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) housed at the University of Washington Primate Research Center, Seattle. Resistance was associated with carriage of a 38-megadalton plasmid which was transmissible to other strains of C. jejuni but not to Escherichia coli. Seven isolates also contained a 2.6-megadalton plasmid which was phenotypically cryptic.