Molecular epidemiology of Salmonella Heidelberg in an equine hospital.
Abstract: From 1992 to 1997, multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella Heidelberg isolates were cultured from a number of horses hospitalised in a veterinary hospital in Victoria, Australia. To examine the relationships between the cases, 28 isolates from the hospital were compared by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), IS200 element profiles, antimicrobial resistance patterns, plasmid profiles and phage typing. The PFGE patterns following digestion with XbaI and BlnI restriction endonucleases showed that the isolates from the veterinary hospital originated from a common source. These isolates also had indistinguishable IS200 profiles. However, PFGE was more discriminatory than IS200 profiles. All the veterinary hospital isolates and one independent isolate had the same antimicrobial resistance pattern and had at least one plasmid in common. Localisation of antimicrobial resistance genes indicated that the veterinary hospital isolates had more than one plasmid carrying resistance genes and that the genes encoding sulphathiazole and trimethoprim resistance were not on these plasmids. Phage typing was ineffective as 22 of the 28 isolates were untypeable. In conclusion, the combination of different methods used for epidemiological studies suggested that a single strain of MDR S. Heidelberg was isolated from horses admitted to the hospital for 6 years and caused salmonellosis in susceptible horses within that period with no apparent correlation between the antimicrobials used and retention of its MDR phenotype.
Publication Date: 2001-03-30 PubMed ID: 11278126DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1135(00)00373-4Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates the spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella Heidelberg in an equine hospital in Victoria, Australia from 1992 to 1997. The study employed multiple tests to determine the strain’s common origin and its sustained resistance to antibiotics.
Comparison Techniques for Isolates
- The study conducted varying types of tests on 28 isolates, cultured from a number of horses, to better understand their relationship. Among these were pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), IS200 element profiles, assessment of antimicrobial resistance patterns, plasmid profiles, and phage typing.
- PFGE, a technique often used in disease tracking, was used to determine if the isolates had a common origin. The patterns produced from digestion with XbaI and BlnI restriction endonucleases established a common source.
- IS200 profiles act as a genetic fingerprint for salmonella, and these were also indistinguishable amongst the samples, although PFGE provided more specific differentiation.
- Plasmid profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns were also examined. The isolates all displayed the same resistance patterns and share at least one common plasmid.
- Phage-typing, however, was ineffective as most (22 out of 28) samples could not be typed.
Findings on Antimicrobial Resistance
- In-depth analysis of the antimicrobial resistance genes revealed multiple resistance genes carried on more than one plasmid. However, the genes that provide resistance to sulphathiazole and trimethoprim were not found on these plasmids.
- Notably, there was no apparent link between the type of antimicrobials used and the maintenance of the multi-drug resistance phenotype, implying that these bacteria have developed ways to survive a variety of antibiotic treatments.
Conclusion
- The researchers conclude that a single strain of MDR Salmonella Heidelberg was likely responsible for infections in the hospitalised horses over a six-year period. Strategies were not affecting the multi-drug resistance of the bacteria.
- This research underlines the importance of vigilant infection control measures and judicious use of antibiotics in biological settings to prevent the emergence and spread of multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria.
Cite This Article
APA
Amavisit P, Markham PF, Lightfoot D, Whithear KG, Browning GF.
(2001).
Molecular epidemiology of Salmonella Heidelberg in an equine hospital.
Vet Microbiol, 80(1), 85-98.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-1135(00)00373-4 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Parkville, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Australia / epidemiology
- Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / metabolism
- Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics
- Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / veterinary
- Genotype
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Hospitals, Animal
- Molecular Epidemiology
- Phenotype
- Salmonella / classification
- Salmonella / genetics
- Salmonella Infections, Animal / epidemiology
- Salmonella Infections, Animal / microbiology
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Thompson K, Taylor J, Mendez D, Chicken C, Carrick J, Durrheim DN. Willingness to adopt personal biosecurity strategies on thoroughbred breeding farms: Findings from a multi-site pilot study in Australia's Hunter Valley. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:1017452.
- Soza-Ossandón P, Rivera D, Tardone R, Riquelme-Neira R, García P, Hamilton-West C, Adell AD, González-Rocha G, Moreno-Switt AI. Widespread Environmental Presence of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella in an Equine Veterinary Hospital That Received Local and International Horses. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:346.
- Gelaw AK, Nthaba P, Matle I. Detection of Salmonella from animal sources in South Africa between 2007 and 2014. J S Afr Vet Assoc 2018 Nov 7;89(0):e1-e10.
- Zheng J, Keys CE, Zhao S, Ahmed R, Meng J, Brown EW. Simultaneous analysis of multiple enzymes increases accuracy of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in assigning genetic relationships among homogeneous Salmonella strains. J Clin Microbiol 2011 Jan;49(1):85-94.
- Levings RS, Lightfoot D, Partridge SR, Hall RM, Djordjevic SP. The genomic island SGI1, containing the multiple antibiotic resistance region of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 or variants of it, is widely distributed in other S. enterica serovars. J Bacteriol 2005 Jul;187(13):4401-9.
- Levings RS, Partridge SR, Lightfoot D, Hall RM, Djordjevic SP. New integron-associated gene cassette encoding a 3-N-aminoglycoside acetyltransferase. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2005 Mar;49(3):1238-41.
- Demczuk W, Soule G, Clark C, Ackermann HW, Easy R, Khakhria R, Rodgers F, Ahmed R. Phage-based typing scheme for Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg, a causative agent of food poisonings in Canada. J Clin Microbiol 2003 Sep;41(9):4279-84.
- Davis MA, Hancock DD, Besser TE, Call DR. Evaluation of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis as a tool for determining the degree of genetic relatedness between strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7. J Clin Microbiol 2003 May;41(5):1843-9.
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