Diversity among human non-typhoidal salmonellae isolates from Zimbabwe

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 107; no. 8; pp. 487 - 492
• Main Authors: Paglietti, Bianca, Falchi, Giovanni, Mason, Peter, Chitsatso, Owen, Nair, Satheesh, Gwanzura, Lovemore, Uzzau, Sergio, Cappuccinelli, Piero, Wain, John, Rubino, Salvatore
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.08.2013
• Subjects: Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the digestive system and abdomen; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Bacteriophage Typing; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; General aspects; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Salmonella enteritidis - drug effects; Salmonella enteritidis - isolation & purification; Salmonella Infections - drug therapy; Salmonella Infections - epidemiology; Salmonella Infections - microbiology; Salmonella typhimurium - drug effects; Salmonella typhimurium - isolation & purification; Serotyping; Zimbabwe - epidemiology; Zimbabwe; Africa; Non-typhoidal; Enteritidis; Multilocus sequence typing; Isangi ST216; Africa; Typhimurium ST313; Human; Salmonella enteritidis; Salmonella Isangi ST216; Typing; Salmonella Typhimurium ST313; Salmonella typhimurium; Infection; Non-typhoidal Salmonella; Microbiological investigation; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Tropical medicine; Salmonellosis; Enterobacteriaceae; Salmonella Enteritidis
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trt046

Background Non-typhoidal Salmonella infections are an important public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among children and HIV-seropositive patients in whom they may cause invasive disease. Methods In order to better understand the epidemiology of Salmonella infections in southern Africa we typed, using serotyping, phage typing and multilocus sequence typing, 167 non-typhoidal Salmonella strains isolated from human clinical specimens during 1995-2000. Results The most common serovars were Salmonella Typhimurium DT56/ST313, Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 and Salmonella Isangi ST216. Isolates of Salmonella Isangi showed a multidrug-resistant phenotype that was resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. Twelve new sequence types and six new serotypes of Salmonella were identified. Conclusions Given the diversity detected in the study it seems likely that many new variants of S. enterica are extant in Zimbabwe and by implication across sub-Saharan Africa. We have demonstrated the presence in Zimbabwe of a multidrug-resistant strain of the serovar Salmonella Isangi and demonstrated the diversity of Salmonella circulating in one sub-Saharan African country. Further studies on the characteristics of Salmonella Isangi isolates from Zimbabwe, including plasmid typing and genotyping, are essential if effective control of the spread of this potential pathogen in sub-Saharan Africa is to be achieved.