Tetracycline resistance in Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis: demonstration of two clonal outbreaks by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

Abstract

Two tetracycline-resistant (Tcr) Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis strains from England were compared with two previously characterized Tcr Texas strains. Both pairs carried the Tet B determinant, which was nontransferable. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of their genomic DNA restriction fragments demonstrated that the strains from the same area were identical (clonal); however, the Texas and English strains differed from each other.