Plasmid-determined resistance to tellurium compounds

Abstract

Transferable plasmids in gram-negative bacteria that confer resistance to potassium tellurite or tellurate were found. This resistance was distinct from resistance to Hg, Ag or As compounds and was unrelated to antibiotic resistance. In Escherichia coli, plasmids determine a 100-fold increase in the minimal inhibitory concentration for tellurite and a 10-fold increase in tellurate resistance. Many, but not all, of the plasmids belong to incompatibility group S. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Te resistance is specifically associated with incompatibility group P-2 and involves a 5- to 10-fold increase in tellurite or tellurate resistance.