Identification of the Conjugative mef Gene in Clinical Acinetobacter junii and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates

Abstract

ABSTRACT The mef gene, originally described for gram-positive organisms and coding for an efflux pump, has been identified in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter junii and Neisseria gonorrhoeae . These strains could transfer the mef gene at frequencies ranging from 10 −6 to 10 −9 into one or more of the following recipients: gram-negative Moraxella catarrhalis , Neisseria perflava/sicca and Neisseria mucosa and gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis . Three Streptococcus pneumoniae strains could transfer the mef gene into Eikenella corrodens , Haemophilus influenzae , Kingella denitrificans , M. catarrhalis , Neisseria meningitidis , N. perflava/sicca , and N. mucosa at similar frequencies. The mef gene can thus be transferred to and expressed in a variety of gram-negative recipients.