Abstract: | A total of 132 Pseudomonas strains isolated from untreated sewage of antibiotic plants were tested. A significant number of the strains were resistant to streptomycin (77 per cent), carbenicillin (75 per cent), kanamycin (37.5 per cent) and tetracycline (23 per cent). Eighteen conjugative and 3 nonconjugative resistance plasmids were detected in 19 strains. The genes determining the resistance to streptomycin, kanamycin and tetracycline were most frequent. The frequency of the plasmid transfer between the strains of Ps. aeruginosa (PAO) varied within 10(-3)--10(-7) per donor cell. Six plasmids belonged to group Inc P-1. Four plasmids belonged to group Inc P-2, 3 plasmids to groups Inc P-3 and Inc P-5 and 1 plasmid to group Inc P-7. |