[The sat4 streptothricin acetyltransferase gene of Campylobacter coli: its distribution in the environment and use as epidemiological marker].

: The main of this study is to give evidence about the spread of streptothricin resistance within Campylobacters which were isolated from animals, men and environmental sources. Streptothricin resistant Campylobacters were isolated over a five years period, when the use of streptothricin for ergotropic purposes was not allowed, from slurry of swine, slurry of cattle, waste water of a goose farm and waste water of a communal sewage treatment plant. The streptothricin resistance was found to be connected with resistances to kanamycin and streptomycin (MIC > 1024 micrograms/ml). For DNA-DNA-hybridisation we used a gene probe derived from the streptothricin acetyltransferase determinant sat4 from Campylobacter coli to find out epidemiological associations between Campylobacters of different origin. The hybridisation experiments show that all streptothricin resistant strains, which were isolated from one ecosystem or where an epidemiological link seems given, have sat4 positive signals at identical positions of the digested and blotted chromosomal DNA. The detection of the sat4 gene seems to be a good tool to discriminate clonal diversities within multiple antibiotic resistant Campylobacters.