Evaluation of methods for detecting the apramycin resistance gene in E. Coli isolated from cold-stressed swine /

by Arnett, Debra Beth.

This study was an attempt to locate the apramycin resistance gene in E. coli isolated from cold-stressed swine. Six pigs were administered apramycin for 14 days during a 150-day study and were exposed to cold stress in the form of an 8°C reduction in recommended daily temperature. Fecal swabs were taken on eight different days for the recovery of Escherichia coli, and isolates were tested for sensitivity to apramycin. Plasmids were isolated from selected E. coli from each day of sampling and were electroporated into receptive bacteria to see whether those bacteria in turn would become receptive so that a resistant plasmid could be identified. Electroporated plasmids could not be recovered so