Conjugation of drug-resistance plasmids from vibrio anguillarum to Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Drug-resistant strains of Vibrio anguillarum, a fish pathogen, were isolated from diseased fish in culture ponds. In investigations of these strains, the transfer of resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and sulfanilamide from multiple resistant organisms to laboratory recipients was observed. The plasmid from V. anguillarum was stably maintained in both recipient strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Escherichia coli. The plasmids isolated from Vibrio anguillarum belong to incompatibility group C. The molecular weight of these plasmids determined by electron microscopic observation was about 103 to 113 megadaltons.