Plasmids determining enzymatic inactivation of lincomycin in Staphylococcus epidermidis. A preliminary report.

Coagulase-negative staphylococcal strains isolated from immunocompromised patients harboured in 41% non-MLS type lincomycin resistance determinant. Two kinds of resistance plasmids were detected in Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates of this origin in connection with lincomycin resistance. One of them represented by pBI1 and pBI84 (1.4 Md in size) determines no other resistance marker. The pBI109PGL plasmid determines also penicillinase production and aminoglycoside resistance, its molecular mass is 31 Md. Hybridization using linA, linA' and linA-like specific gene probes suggested occurrence of genes of lincosamid-inactivating enzyme belonging to the lin gene family but differring from the previously characterized determinants.