Prevalence of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica strains on liver surfaces of pigs and their antimicrobial susceptibility.
A study to determine the occurrence of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica on surfaces of slaughtered pig livers and the antimicrobial resistant pattern of the isolates was carried out in a slaughterhouse in Lower Saxony, Germany. During the slaughtering process, 1,500 surfaces of pig livers from 50 fattening herds were swabbed in order to isolate and characterize Y. enterocolitica isolates by serotyping, detecting the virulence plasmid coding the yopT gene, and resistance testing. Of the livers tested, 4.7% were positive for Y. enterocolitica O:3, which was the only identified serotype. The virulence gene yopT was found in 90.0% of these isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by the broth dilution method, and the MICs were determined for 13 antimicrobials. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin and sulfamethoxazole but were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, gentamicin, ceftiofur, tetracycline, kanamycin, cefotaxime, and chlorphenicol. Up to now, resistance to florfenicol has always been described in combination with resistance to chloramphenicol. In the present study, 15.3% of the isolates were resistant to florfenicol, while no chloramphenicol-resistant strains could be identified. Multiresistance to three or more antimicrobials was detected in 22 strains (27.3%). Nevertheless, third-generation cephalosporines or fluoroquinolones, which were recommended for extraintestinal Y. enterocolitica infection in humans, were not affected.
von Altrock
A
A
Clinic for Swine, Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, Hannover, Germany. alexandra.von.altrock@tiho-hannover.de
Roesler
U
U
Merle
R
R
Waldmann
K-H
KH
D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D015995:Prevalence; D013552:Swine; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents