Antimicrobial resistance, virulence genes and genetic relatedness of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis isolates recovered from human gastroenteritis in Tehran, Iran.

OBJECTIVES

Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis is a major serotype associated with human salmonellosis. The main objective of this study was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns and the presence of virulence-associated genes among S. Enteritidis strains isolated from patients with gastroenteritis in Tehran, Iran.

METHODS

Over a period of 14 months (May 2015 to July 2016), 44 S. Enteritidis isolates recovered from clinical sources were characterised for antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence genes. Possible genetic relatedness among the strains was also assessed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

RESULTS

Salmonella Enteritidis isolates showed high rates of resistance to ciprofloxacin (90.9%) and nalidixic acid (77.3%). Of the 44 S. Enteritidis isolates, 30 (68.2%) were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Twenty-two different antimicrobial resistance patterns were detected among the isolates. The most frequent resistance type was antibiotype 14 (resistance to ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime and nalidixic acid), occurring in 8 (18.2%) of the isolates. Notably, all of the isolates carried invA, sefA, sipA and sopE2 virulence genes. Furthermore, 17 virulence profiles were observed among the strains. The most common virulence profile was VP1 (n=17; 38.6%), harbouring all of the virulence genes. Two distinct PFGE patterns were observed among 44S. Enteritidis isolates. There was no association between virulence profiles or antibiotypes and PFGE clusters.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study provides valuable information on the virulence gene content, antibiotic resistance and genetic diversity of S. Enteritidis isolated from human sources in Iran.