Plasmid transfer from Pseudomonas putida to the indigenous bacteria in alfalfa sprouts: characterization, direct quantification, and in situ location of tranconjugant cells

Research has been conducted on conjugative plasmid transfer from Pseudomonas putida to the indigenous bacterial community of alfalfa sprouts cultivated from the commercially available seeds. The authors have demonstrated that alfalfa spouts provide environment which allows efficient conjugant gene transfer between the colonizing bacteria, and that the tranconjugant formation occurs later.