Genotypes and antibiotic resistance of salmonella newport isolates from U.S. market oysters.

The consumption of raw oysters contributes to food-borne diseases such as salmonellosis. Prevalence studies in our laboratory have shown that Salmonella spp. were present in 7.4% of U.S. market oysters, with the majority (78/101) of isolates being of the Salmonella enterica Newport serovar. E-tests were performed to assess the susceptibility of the S. Newport oyster isolates to antibiotics used for treatment of Salmonella infections. The oyster isolates were susceptible to Gentamicin, Trimethoprim/Sulphamethoxazole, and Ciprofloxacin, while for the most part they were resistant to Ampicillin and Tetracycline. Consistent with the uniform antibiotic susceptibility profile of these isolates, only three pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles were identified among the isolates. Of these three profiles, one was present in 63 of the 78 isolates, indicating not only the presence of S. Newport in oysters, but the predominance of a single PFGE type.