An integron may appear in a plasmid or on the chromosome.

A functional integron "platform" requires:

The term super-integron was first applied in 1998 (but without definition) to the integron with a long cassette array on the small chromosome of Vibrio cholerae.

The 59-be are a diverse family of sequences that function as recognition sites for the site-specific integrase (enzyme responsible for integrating the gene cassette into an integron).

An integron is a two component gene capture and dissemination system, initially discovered in relation to antibiotic resistance, and which is found in plasmids, chromosomes and transposons.