Restriction of resistance transfer in Staphylococcus aureus.

The transduction frequency of wild type resistance plasmids carrying the modification of a defined donor strain into a series of acceptor strains with different restriction systems and into restriction-deficient mutants was studied. Plasmids carrying resistance to tetracycline, chloramphenicol and penicillin were in general as sensitive as the transducing phage to restriction and modification. Plasmids carrying penicillinase of type A and C could be transferred into strains of group II.