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New drug-resistant strain of salmonella identified

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16.04.2004

Researchers from Taiwan report the identification of a new form of drug-resistant salmonella bacterium in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

Salmonella enterica serotype choleraesuis usually causes infections that require antimicrobial treatment. Multidrug-resistant strains have been identified, but the antimicrobial ceftriaxone has been effective against them so far.

Professor J T Ou, from Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan, and colleagues isolated a strain of Salmonella enterica serotype choleraesuis that was resistant to all antimicrobials commonly used to treat salmonellosis, including ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin. The bacterium came from a 58-year-old man with sepsis who subsequently died.

The drug-resistance was due to changes in the genes of the bacteria, including some in a genetic element that can potentially be transmitted between bacteria. Although this strain was from only one patient, the public-health implications of multidrug-resistant salmonella are serious. “Constant surveillance is needed to prevent its further spread,” warn the authors.

Contact:
Prof J T Ou, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 259 Wenhua 1st Road, Kweishan 333, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Fone: +886 3 2118800; Fax: +886 3 2118455; Email: jontou@mail.cgu.edu.tw

Richard Lane | Source: alphagalileo

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