Jpn.J.Infect.Dis., 52, 1999

Laboratory and Epidemiology Communications

Salmonella enterica Serovar. Typhimurium Phage Type DT104 and Other Multi-drug Resistant Strains in Japan

Hidemasa Izumiya, Kazumiti Tamura*, Jun Terajima and Haruo Watanabe

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Communicated by Hiroshi Yoshikura

(Accepted July 8, 1999)

The multi-drug resistant definitive phage type (DT) 104 strain of Salmonella enterica serovar. Typhimurium appeared around 1990 in Europe (1) and rapidly spread to the U.S.A (2). The strain is now an enteric pathogen which attracts public health concerns in various developed countries. In Japan only four DT104-related outbreaks, one in 1997 and three in 1998, both in Tokyo, have been reported, but the involvement of DT104 in sporadic cases has not been previously investigated.

We examined 447 Typhimurium strains which had been sent to the Salmonella Center and Phage Typing Section of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan in the past 9 years (1990-1998). They were tested for the phage type and drug resistance. For testing drug resistance, we used ampicillin (A), chloramphenicol (C), streptomycin (S), sulphonamides (Su), tetracycline (T), trimethoprim (Tp), ciprofloxacin (Ci), gentamicin (G), kanamycin (K), nalidixic acid (N), and cefotaxime (Ce).

Among the 447 strains, ten were identified as ACSSuT-resistant DT104. One had been isolated in 1993, four in 1994, two in 1995, and three in 1998. Many strains other than DT104 were found resistant to three or more antibiotics. The most frequent drug resistance pattern was ACST resistance followed by ACSTK resistance (Table 1). A similar pattern had been previously reported for multi-drug resistant Salmonella implicated in gastroenteritis (3,4).

As the multi-drug resistant Salmonella strains are easily isolated from the environment and excrement of cattle, it is not surprising that this bacteria contaminated meat and caused infections in humans. Further surveillance of drug-resistant Salmonellae is required.

This work has been done in collaboration with the investigators of prefectural and municipal public health institutes.

REFERENCES

  1. Brisabois, A., Cazin, I., Breuil, J. and Collatz, E. (1997): Surveillance of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella. Eurosurveillance, 2, 19-20.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1997): Mutidrug-resistant Salmonella serotype typhimurium-United States, 1996. Morbid. Mortal. Wkly. Rep., 46, 308-310.
  3. Matsushita, S., Yamada, S., Sekiguti, K., Inaba, M., Kusunoki, J., Kudou, Y. and Ohashi, M. (1992): Serovar distribution and drug resistance of Salmonella isolated from imported and domestic cases in1980-1989 in Tokyo. Jpn.J.Assoc. Infect. Dis., 66, 327-339 (in Japanese).
  4. Matsushita, S., Yamada, S., Sekiguti, K., Kusunoki, J., Ohta, K. and Kudou, Y. (1996): Serovar distribution and drug resistance of Salmonella strains isolated from domestic and imported cases in 1990-1994 in Tokyo. Jpn.J.Assoc.Infect.Dis., 70, 42-50 (in Japanese).

*Corresponding Author: Fax:+81-3-5285-1163, E-mail:kazutamu@nih.go.jp

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