Molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella from poultry industries in Korea

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistant Salmonella strains are a direct threat to human health when this resistance interferes with treatment and an indirect threat when resistance can be transferred to other human pathogens. The objective of the present study was to characterize antimicrobial resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) isolates recovered from poultry industries, including a description of genetic diversity and virulence profiles.

Results: In total of 93 Salmonella isolates shown antimicrobial resistance to one or more drugs, all isolates exhibited common resistance to streptomycin, nalidixic acid and cephalothin but no ciprofloxacin resistance. Among 26 virulence gene profiling, 12 virulence genes, invA, orgA, prgH, sopB, tolC, sipB, gatC, msgA, pagC, spiA, sifA, and sitC were found in all antimicrobial-resistant NTS isolates. In comparing the data from ERIC-PCR clusters, virulence profiles and resistance profiles, some Salmonella isolates grouped into the same cluster were found to exhibit similar virulence and resistance patterns.

Conclusions: Virulence profiling combined with ERIC-PCR offered a rapid approach to characterize antimicrobial-resistant NTS.

Keywords: Molecular characterization; Non-typhoidal Salmonella; Resistance.

Fig. 1

The ERIC-PCR analysis of the non-typhoidal Salmonella from Korean poultry industry is displayed using dendrograms generated by Bionumerics software. The vertical line shows the delineation level of 80%. The red color indicates the presence of the gene while the pink color indicates the absence of the gene. The dark blue color indicates resistance to the corresponding antibiotic while the light blue color indicates susceptibility. The 17 chicken slaughter houses, nine duck slaughter houses, eight commercial layer farms and three retail markets were designated C1 ~ C17, D1 ~ D9, L1 ~ L8, R1 ~ R3, respectively. AM ampicillin, C choloramphenicol, CAZ ceftazidime, CIP ciprofloxacin, CF cephalothin, CTX cefotaxime, GM gentamicin, K kanamycin, NA nalidixic acid, S streptomycin, STX trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, TE tetracycline