Genetic analysis of mobile tetQ elements in oral Prevotella species

Prevotella species are members of the bacterial oral flora and are opportunistic pathogens in polymicrobial infections of soft tissues. Antibiotic resistance to tetracyclines is common in these bacteria, and the gene encoding this resistance has been previously identified as tetQ. The tetQ gene is also found on conjugative transposons in the intestinal Bacteroides species; whether these related bacteria have transmitted tetQ to Prevotella is unknown. In this study, we describe our genetic analysis of mobile tetQ elements in oral Prevotella species.Our results indicate that the mobile elements encoding tetQ in oral species are distinct from those found in the Bacteroides. The intestinal bacteria may act as a reservoir for the tetQ gene, but Prevotella has incorporated this gene into an IS21-family transposon. This transposon is present in Prevotella species from more than one geographical location, implying that the mechanism of tetQ spread between oral Prevotella species is highly conserved.