Genetic relatedness of a rarely isolated Salmonella: Salmonella enterica serotype Niakhar from NARMS animal isolates

Bacteria (NARMS) assayed a total of 22 383Salmonella isolates from various animal sources (swine, cattle, chickens, turkeys, cats, horses, exotics anddogs) for antimicrobial susceptibility. Isolates originated from diagnostic and non-diagnostic submissions. Objectives: To study the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Salmonella Niakhar. Methods and results: Only five (0.02%) of the 22 383 isolates were identified as Salmonella Niakhar. Anti-microbial resistance testing indicated that three isolates were pan-susceptible, one isolate was resistant to ampicillin and one isolate was resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. RAPD– PCR analysis, PFGE and ribotyping indicated that two pan-susceptible isolates were genetically similar, whereas the three remaining isolates were genetically different. The one Salmonella Niakhar isolate that was multiresistant harboured a class I integron, intI1 and two large plasmids. Conclusions: This study represents the first report of a ciprofloxacin-resistant Salmonella isolate from the animal arm of NARMS