Plasmid incidence in the subgroups of two bacterial communities

SummaryThe plasmid incidence of two bacterial communities from soil and freshwater was determined by endogenous plasmid isolation. The overall plasmid incidence for the communities was about 10%, while the frequency of plasmid-containing members in different subgroups ranged from 0% to 100%. Both communities included a minor population where all members contained several plasmids.