A Stochastic Approach to the Kinetics of Conjugative Transfer of Bacterial Plasmids

Abstract

A stochastic model is proposed for the kinetics of conjugative transmission of bacterial plasmids based on a Markov process with discrete states in continuous time. The kinetics of plasmid transfer in populations of Escherichia coli could be reasonably well approximated by the model. Using the stochastic model, rate constants of plasmid transfer could be estimated for three selftransmissible (R100, R100-1, RP4) plasmids and one non-selftransmissible, mobilizable (RSF2124) plasmid. The statistical significance of estimates of transfer rate constants is discussed, employing the normal distribution for the setting of significant level.