Characterization of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella Kinshasa from dairy calves in Texas

• Published in: Letters in applied microbiology Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 140 - 145
• Main Authors: Bischoff, K.M, Edrington, T.S, Callaway, T.R, Genovese, K.J, Nisbet, D.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.01.2004; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: Ampicillin - pharmacology; animal health; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibiotic resistance; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle - microbiology; Chloramphenicol - pharmacology; Conjugation, Genetic; dairy calves; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Escherichia coli; Feces - microbiology; Fluoroquinolones - pharmacology; food safety; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Nebramycin - analogs & derivatives; Nebramycin - pharmacology; Neomycin - pharmacology; Oxytetracycline - pharmacology; Public Health; Risk Factors; Salmonella; Salmonella - classification; Salmonella - drug effects; Salmonella - genetics; Salmonella - isolation & purification; Serotyping; Spectinomycin - pharmacology; Streptomycin - pharmacology; Sulfamethoxazole - pharmacology; Tetracycline - pharmacology; Texas; Texas; USA, Texas; Salmonella; Bovine; Applied microbiology; Calf; Ox; Antimicrobial agent; Characterization; Resistance; food safety; Vertebrata; Mammalia; antibiotic resistance; animal health; dairy calves; Bacteria; Artiodactyla; Ungulata; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0266-8254; 1472-765X; 1365-2673
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2003.01476.x

Aim:  To determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among Salmonella isolated from a central Texas dairy calf farm that raises animals for dairy‐beef production. Methods and Results:  Salmonella isolates collected from 50 faecal samples were characterized for susceptibility to 20 antimicrobial agents. Seventy per cent of the faecal samples (35 of 50) tested positive for Salmonella, and high rates of resistance to the following drugs that are commonly used for treatment of bacterial enteritis in livestock were observed: ampicillin (88%), apramycin (83%), neomycin (86%), spectinomycin (91%) and oxytetracycline (90%). No resistance to the fluoroquinolone antibiotics was observed. The most prevalent Salmonella serotype was Kinshasha (22 of 35 samples), followed by Agona (4 of 35), Newport (3 of 35), Infantis (2 of 35), Montevideo (2 of 35), Lille (1 of 35) and Newington (1 of 35). The Kinshasa, Agona, Newport and Infantis serotypes all displayed resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphamethoxazole and tetracycline, and the penta‐resistance phenotype was transferable to an Escherichia coli recipient strain. Significance:  Multi‐drug resistant Salmonella in dairy calves pose a costly animal health problem and a potential risk to the public health. This study emphasizes the need for alternative, non‐antimicrobial intervention strategies for the control of zoonotic pathogens.