title: Phenotypic and molecular assessment of antimicrobial resistance in Lactobacillus paracasei strains of food origin.
abstract: Antimicrobial resistance data in food-associated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as lactobacilli are mostly based on nonstandardized methodologies and/or have been obtained for only a limited number of strains. This susceptibility study included a diverse collection of 115 isolates mainly of food origin originally identified as Lactobacillus paracasei or Lactobacillus casei. Upon reidentification and removal of potential replicate isolates using repetitive DNA element PCR fingerprinting, 65 genotypically unique L. paracasei strains and the L. casei type strain were selected for broth microdilution and Etest assays using the LAB susceptibility test medium. In both methodologies, strains appeared uniformly susceptible to ampicillin and clindamycin but exhibited natural resistance to streptomycin and gentamicin. Three L. paracasei strains from cheese displayed acquired resistance to tetracycline (MIC > or = 32 microg/ml) and/or to erythromycin (MIC >16 microg/ml), which was linked to the presence of a tet(M) or tet(W) gene and/or an erm(B) gene, respectively. Partial sequencing revealed that the tet(M) genes found in two of these strains belonged to two tet(M) sequence homology groups previously found in enterococci. Collectively, phenotypic and genotypic data allowed us to propose tentative epidemiological cutoffs for L. paracasei and L. casei for differentiating susceptible strains from those strains harboring one or more acquired resistance factors.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Physiology, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Ghent, Belgium. geert.huys@ugent.be
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huys
authors.forename: Klaas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: D'Haene
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danielsen
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mättö
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egervärn
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vandamme
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial