Abstract

We have collected eight high-level streptomycin-resistant strains of Pseudomonas marginalis and P. syringae pv. actinidiae which were isolated from kiwifruit orchards in Korea and Japan. The molecular mechanisms of resistance were investigated by the PCR, susceptibility tests, and nucleotide sequence analysis. Of the eight high-level streptomycin-resistant strains, four harbored strA-strB genes, which encode streptomycin-inactivating enzymes. While the three Korean strains of P. marginalis did not have plasmid and carried the resistant genes in the chromosomes, the Japanese strain of P. syringae pv. actinidiae had a plasmid containing strA-strB genes. The myomycin susceptibility test demonstrated that the high-level resistance to streptomycin of the remaining four strains is associated with mutations in the rpsL gene. Nucleotide sequence analyses revealed that they contain a single base-pair mutation in codon 43 of their rpsL gene.

• Keywords: streptomycin resistance; Pseudomonas marginalis; Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae; kiwifruit