The SHV-5 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase gene of pACM1 is located on the remnant of a compound transposon

The SHV-5 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase gene of pACM1 was previously shown to reside on a segment of DNA ( approximately 7.9 kb) homologous to part of the Klebsiella pneumoniae chromosome. Regions of pACM1 overlapping the ends of the homology were sequenced. A defective copy of IS26 was found on each side of, and immediately adjacent to, the homology. The copies were oriented as direct repeats reminiscent of the compound transposon Tn2680. Other mobile elements and a putative mutagenesis gene, several of which were also defective, were also located in the vicinity of the homology. An intact precursor to the transposon remnant might have contributed to the dissemination of the SHV-5 gene.