Use of pulsed field gel electrophoresis as an epidemiological tool for analysis of sporadic associated strains of Salmonella typhi isolated in Taiwan

Genotyping of Salmonella Typhi using 8-loci multi locus VNTR analysis

Background

Typhoid fever has caused severe epidemics in many Asian and African countries. The early detection of outbreaks and their sources may promote the prevention and control of typhoid fever, for which effective and timely molecular subtyping techniques are required. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is routinely used as the molecular typing technique for foodborne and waterborne pathogens. However, maneuverable techniques remain necessary to expedite the experimental procedure and obtain more effective subtyping. The multilocus loci of a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based subtyping method.

Methods

MLVA method and PFGE based on Xba I enzyme were applied to the 103 Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) isolated from different years and regions. Dendrograms were constructed and analyzed to help understand the data. The Simpson’s index of diversity (D value) was calculated to estimate the discriminatory power of MLVA and PFGE. In addition, a set of endogenous 3 bp DNA ladder markers were established to accurately determine the repeat copy number of the VNTR with only a 3 bp repetitive unit, using microfluidics chip-based electrophoresis to generate comparable VNTR data in the public health laboratory network.

Results

The established 8-loci MLVA for S. Typhi subtyping had higher discriminatory power than PFGE. In some cases, PFGE could not distinguish the strains isolated over long intervals and with different epidemic provinces. By contrast, 8-loci MLVA distinctly distinguished these strains, and the strains with the same MLVA patterns were from the same or contiguous years and the same province, showing its significance in epidemiological discrimination. The established set of endogenous 3 bp DNA ladder markers improved the accuracy and reproducibility of VNTR analysis using microfluidics chip-based electrophoresis to 100 %.

Conclusions

Eight VNTRs can be used for the MLVA analysis of the 103 S. Typhi isolates. MLVA based on the 8-loci had higher discriminatory power than PFGE for S. Typhi subtyping. The 8-loci MLVA is easier for the analysis and interpretation of relationships between strains compared to PFGE.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13099-016-0094-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Resistance-Gene Cassettes Associated With Salmonella enterica Genotypes

BACKGROUND

The epidemiology of salmonellosis is complex because of the diversity and different serotypes of Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) that occur in different reservoirs and geographic incidences.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the genotype distribution and resistance-gene content of 2 classes of integron among S. enterica isolates.

METHODS

Thirty-six S. enterica species were isolated and tested for their serological distribution and the resistance-gene contents of 2 classes of integron, as well as for their genetic diversity, using the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotyping method.

RESULTS

Serogroups E (36.1%) and D (30.5%) were dominant among the isolates. All of the isolates in serogroup D belonged to the serovar enteritidis. The aadA1 gene was found within all resistance-gene cassettes. We observed 4 common and 26 single pulsotypes among the isolates, which indicated a high degree of genetic diversity among the isolates. Using the PulseNet International standard protocol, it was found that these isolates were different from those reported previously in Iran.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of a few common and new pulsotypes among the isolates suggests the emergence and spread of new clones of S. enterica in Iran.

Clonal diversity of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi isolated from patients with typhoid fever in Tehran

In this study, antimicrobial susceptibility test and genetic typing were used to characterize 15 Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates recovered from sporadic cases of typhoid fever in Tehran, Iran during 2004. Antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that all isolates were susceptible to 20 antimicrobials examined in this study. Analysis of insertion elements showed that 2 IS200 types with 10 and 11 copies were present. 11 of the 15 isolates were found to possess 10 IS200 elements residing on fragments from 23 to 2.3 kb. Comparison of the RiboPrinter (automated ribotyping) patterns of S. Typhi showed that 60% (9/15) of the isolates belonged to a single ribotype. PCR based random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) and pulsed-field gel electrophresis (PFGE) were also performed. ERIC and RAPD-PCR method showed 2 and 3 genotyping patterns amongst the isolates, respectively. The PFGE typing was carried out by using XbaI restriction enzyme, and 7 restriction patterns were observed. Overall, the molecular typing methods applied in this study showed that the isolated S. Typhi populations were highly polyclonal as shown by PFGE.

A pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) study that suggests a major world-wide clone of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis

Since human infections by Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) have been increasing world-wide over the past years and epidemiological studies have implicated the consumption of meat, poultry, eggs and egg products, elucidation of the predominant subtypes for this Salmonella spp. is important. In this study, 107 poultry and food isolates of Salmonella Enteritidis obtained from Germany were analyzed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and the subtypes were compared with those of the 124 human isolates obtained in Taiwan. Results showed that for these 107 poultry and food isolates, when XbaI, SpeI and NotI were used for chromosomal DNA digestion followed by PFGE analysis, a total of 19, 20 and 19 PFGE patterns, respectively, were identified. Of them, 51 (47.7%), 52 (48.6%) and 42 (39.3%) strains belong to a single pattern of X3, S3 and N3, respectively, and 34 strains belong to a pattern combination of X3S3N3, which was the major subtype. When PFGE patterns of these 107 German isolates were compared with those of the 124 human isolates obtained in Taiwan, pattern combination of X3S3N3 was found as the most common pattern shared by isolates from both areas. PT4 is a major phage type for German and Taiwan isolates. Although most of the X3S3N3 strains are of this phage type, some strains of other PFGE patterns are also of this phage type. Since strains used in this study were unrelated, i.e., they were isolated from different origins in areas geographically far apart from each other, the PFGE study suggests a major world-wide clone of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis.

Analysis of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns associated with international travel

Typhoid fever is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, causing an estimated 16 million cases and 600,000 deaths annually. Although overall rates of the disease have dramatically decreased in the United States, the number of travel-related infections has increased in recent decades. Drug resistance among Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi strains has emerged worldwide, making antimicrobial susceptibility testing an important function in public health laboratories. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtyping of food-borne and waterborne pathogens has proven to be a valuable tool for the detection of outbreaks and laboratory-based surveillance. This retrospective study examined the distribution of PFGE patterns of S. enterica serotype Typhi isolates from patients with a history of international travel. Isolates were collected as part of a passive laboratory-based antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance study. Isolates were PFGE subtyped by using the restriction enzyme XbaI to restrict the total genomic DNA. Isolates indistinguishable with XbaI were further characterized using the restriction enzyme BlnI. A total of 139 isolates were typed, representing travel to 31 countries. Restriction fragment patterns consisted of 14 to 18 fragments ranging in size from 580 to 40 kbp. Seventy-nine unique PFGE patterns were generated using XbaI. Isolates from the same geographic region did not necessarily have similar PFGE patterns. Of the 139 isolates, 46 (33%) were resistant to more than one antimicrobial agent (multidrug resistant [MDR]). Twenty-seven (59%) of 46 MDR isolates had indistinguishable PFGE patterns with both XbaI and BlnI. It appears that MDR S. enterica serotype Typhi has emerged as a predominant clone in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Molecular epidemiology of invasive Salmonella typhi in southeast Turkey

The objective of this study was to determine the molecular epidemiology of Salmonella typhi isolates from patients with typhoid fever in southeast Turkey and to determine the relationship between the clinical strains and environmental subtypes. Both demographic and clinical data were obtained by chart review and compared to the molecular subtyping results.

Analysis of Salmonella enteritidis strains isolated from food-poisoning cases in Taiwan by pulsed field gel electrophoresis, plasmid profile and phage typing

AIMS

To establish the molecular typing data for Salmonella enteritidis due to its increasing role in Salmonella infections in Taiwan.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Sixty-three Salm. enteritidis strains isolated from related and unrelated patients suffering from food-borne poisoning during 1991-97 were collected and subjected to pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), plasmid analysis and phage typing. For PFGE, XbaI, SpeI and NotI restriction enzymes were used for chromosomal DNA digestion. The results showed that, for these 63 Salmonella strains, 10 PFGE pattern combinations were found. Of these, pattern X3 S3 N3 was the major subtype, since 46 strains isolated from different locations at different times during 1991-97 showed this PFGE pattern. Plasmid analysis showed only three plasmid profiles and phage typing showed that most of the Salmonella strains were of the phage type PT4.

CONCLUSION

Most of the Salm. enteritidis strains circulating in Taiwan are of very similar genetic types or are highly related and that strains of PFGE pattern X3 S3 N3 are the prevalent and recirculating strains of Salm. enteritidis which caused food-poisoning cases in Taiwan in 1991-97.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study provides information that in Salmonella infection, certain subtypes of Salm. enteritidis should be scrutinized.

Genotypic analysis of Escherichia coli strains from poultry carcasses and their susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents

Plasmid profiling and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis were used to genotype 50 Escherichia coli strains from poultry carcasses. Thirty different plasmid profiles were evident, and clustering of the AFLP data showed that they were a distinctly heterogeneous group of strains. Susceptibility testing against five antimicrobial agents used in the South African poultry industry showed all strains to be susceptible to danofloxacin and colistin, while the majority (96%) were resistant to two tetracyclines.