Serotype Distribution and Antimicrobial Resistance of <i>Salmonella</i> Isolates in Korea between 2016 and 2017

Abstract

<i>Salmonella</i> is one of the major causes of food-borne infections. We investigated the serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of <i>Salmonella</i> isolates collected in Korea between January 2016 and December 2017. In total, 669 <i>Salmonella</i> isolates were collected from clinical specimens at 19 university hospitals. Serotyping was performed according to the Kauffmann-White scheme, and antimicrobial susceptibility was tested using Sensititre EUVSEC plates or disk diffusion. Among the strains, C (39.8%) and B (36.6%) were the most prevalent serogroups. In total, 51 serotypes were identified, and common serotypes were <i>S</i>. enterica serovar I 4,[5],12:i:- (16.7%), <i>S</i>. Enteritidis (16.1%), <i>S</i>. Bareilly (14.6%), <i>S</i>. Typhimurium (9.9%), and <i>S</i>. Infantis (6.9%). The resistance rates to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were 32.6%, 12.1%, and 8.4%, respectively. The resistance rates to cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin were 8.1% and 3.0%, respectively, while 5.4% were multidrug-resistant. <i>S. enterica</i> serovar I 4,[5],12:i:- and <i>S</i>. Enteritidis were highly prevalent, and there was an increase in rare serotypes. Multidrug resistance and ciprofloxacin resistance were highly prevalent. Periodic investigations of <i>Salmonella</i> serotypes and antimicrobial resistance are needed.