Molecular characterization and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar 1,4,[5],12:i:-environmental isolates from poultry farms

Salmonella enterica serovar 1,4,[5],12:i:-(S.1,4,[5],12:i:-)has been recognized as an emerging foodborne pathogen in recent years.It can cause human salmonellosis predominated by the contamination of animal-derived foods such as raw poultry and pork.This study aimed to characterize the genetic diversity,plasmid replicon types,and antibiotic resistance of 15 S.1,4,[5],12:i:-environmental isolates collected from two poultry farms using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis(PFGE),multilocus sequence typing(MLST),polymerase chain reaction-based replicon typing,and minimum inhibitory concentration approach.Ten different PFGE genotypes were detected,indicating a high diversity among these S.1,4,[5],12:i:-isolates.Three sequence types(ST19,ST1544,ST34)were identified by MLST.Among them,ST1544 was first detected in S.1,4,[5],12:i:-environmental isolates from poultry farms.All isolates were resistant to cefazolin,cefotetan,tobramycin,amikacin,and gentamicin,but susceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam,aztreonam,ceftazidime,cefepime,and ertapenem.Five incompatibility groups(Inc)of plasmids were identified,including IncFIIs(66.7%),IncHI2(20%),IncI1(6.7%),IncN(6.7%),and IncQ(6.7%).Among these isolates,80%carried at least one plasmid replicon type,and 20%carried multiple plasmid replicon types.Interestingly,the multidrug-resistant isolate 263 carried numerous resistance genes(i.e.qnrS,aac(6ʹ)-Ib-cr,bla_(TEM),bla_(CTX-M-9),bla_(OXA-1),sul1,sul2,sul3,floR,and mcr-1)and class I integronase gene intI1,which possessed both IncHI2 and IncQ plasmids,suggesting that resistance genes may be horizontally transferred by the combination of IncHI2 and IncQ plasmids.Collectively,antibiotic-resistant S.1,4,[5],12:i:-isolates were first found in poultry farm environments in China,and surveillance should be strengthened to prevent their further spread from poultry farms to foods.