Background:
Salmonellosis is a major food-borne disease worldwide. The increasing
prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella spp. is
concerning.
Objective:
The main objective of this study is to identify class 1 integron genes and to determine
antibiotic resistance patterns among Salmonella isolates from children with diarrhea.
Methods:
A total of 30 Salmonella isolates were recovered from children with diarrhea. The isolates
were characterized for antimicrobial susceptibility and screened for the presence of class 1
integron genes (i.e. intI1, sulI1, and qacEΔ1).
Results:
The most prevalent serotype was Enteritidis 36.7%, followed by Paratyphi C (30%), and
Typhimurium (16.7%). The highest rates of antibiotic resistance were obtained for nalidixic acid
(53.3%), followed by streptomycin (40%), and tetracycline (36.7%). Regarding class 1 integrons,
36.7%, 26.7%, and 33.3% of the isolates carried intI1, SulI, and qacEΔ1, respectively, most of
which (81.8%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Statistical analysis revealed that the presence of
class 1 integron was significantly associated with resistance to streptomycin and tetracycline (p =
0.042). However, there was no association between class 1 integron and other antibiotics used in
this study (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
The high frequency of integron class 1 gene in MDR Salmonella strains indicates
that these mobile genetic elements are versatile among different Salmonella serotypes, and associated
with reduced susceptibility to many antimicrobials.
Diversity in VIM-2-encoding class 1 integrons and occasional blaSHV2a carriage in isolates of a persistent, multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa clone from Tunis
