Vanadium accelerates horizontal transfer of tet(M) gene from marine Photobacterium to Escherichia coli.

Vanadium is a contaminant from steel additive and ship fuel in coastal and port areas, and its effect on marine microbes remains largely unknown. We showed that vanadium accelerates transfer of the tetracycline resistance gene tet(M) from Photobacterium to Escherichia coli, and found a positive correlation between the concentration of vanadium in natural marine sediment and the rate of oxytetracycline resistance. These results suggest the possibility that vanadium may play a role in the preservation and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in the marine environment.