title: Genetic characterization of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in Enterococcus spp. from Japanese retail ready-to-eat raw fish.
abstract: Little information is available on the diversity and distribution of resistance and virulence factors in enterococci isolated from retail fish. In this study, 200 samples of retail ready-to-eat raw fish (sashimi) collected from the Japanese prefecture of Hiroshima were analyzed for incidence of Enterococcus spp. We recovered 96 enterococcal isolates from 90 (45%, 90/200) samples. Fifty-six strains were identified at the species level: E. faecalis (n = 31), E. faecium (n = 7), E. casseliflavus (n = 7), E. gallinarum (n = 3), E. phoeniculicola (n = 4), E. raffinosus (n = 2), E. saccharolyticus (n = 1), and E. gilvus (n = 1). Twenty-five (26%, 25/96) strains carried antibiotic resistance genes. These included the tet(M), tet(L), tet(K), erm(B), msr(A/B), aph(3'), and blaZ genes, which were detected in 12.5%, 9.3%, 2%, 14.5%, 1%, 1%, and 2% of isolates, respectively. The virulence genes gelE and asa1 were detected in 31 and 24 E. faecalis strains, respectively. Both genes were detected in one E. faecium strain. In conclusion, this is the first study to underscore the importance of sashimi as not only a reservoir of Enterococcus spp. carrying resistance and virulence genes, but also a reservoir for unusual Enterococcus spp.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Egypt. Electronic address: hammad@vet.usc.edu.eg.
authors.forename: Ahmed M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hammad
authors.forename: Toshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamoto
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000382:microbiology*; D005399:Fishes; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D007564:Japan; D017747:Seafood / Q000191:economics / Q000382:microbiology*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Enterococci; Raw fish; Virulence