The study investigated the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in Finnish cattle at slaughter and carcass contamination after slaughter. During the period January to December 2003, bovine rectal fecal samples (n ‫؍‬ 952) and carcass surface samples (n ‫؍‬ 948) from 12 out of 15 Finnish slaughterhouses were examined. In total, campylobacters were detected in 31.1% of fecal samples and in 3.5% of carcass surface samples. Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from 19.5%, Campylobacter coli from 2.2%, and presumptive Campylobacter hyointestinalis from 10.8% of fecal samples. Campylobacters were detected in 4.4% and 37.4% of the fecal samples examined both by direct culture and by enrichment (n ‫؍‬ 730), respectively, suggesting a low level of campylobacters in the intestinal content. A slightly increasing trend was observed in the overall prevalence of campylobacters towards the end of summer and autumn. Seventeen different serotypes were detected among the fecal C. jejuni isolates using a set of 25 commercial antisera for serotyping heat-stable antigens (Penner) of C. jejuni by passive hemagglutination. The predominant serotypes, Pen2 and Pen4-complex, were isolated from 52% of the fecal samples. Subtyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (SmaI) yielded 56 and 20 subtypes out of 330 fecal and 70 carcass C. jejuni isolates, respectively. MICs of ampicillin, enrofloxacin, erythromycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, and oxytetracycline for 187 C. jejuni isolates were determined using a commercial broth microdilution method. Sixteen (9%) of the isolates were resistant to at least one of the antimicrobials tested. Resistance to nalidixic acid was most commonly detected (6%). No multiresistance was observed.

To characterize the mechanisms of streptomycin (STR) resistance in Campylobacter coli, we chose 17 isolates that were resistant to STR, erythromycin (ERY), or both, and the putative STR resistance target genes rpsL, rrs, and gidB were analyzed for mutations. The presence of the aadE gene encoding aminoglycoside 6-adenylyltransferase was also evaluated. To reveal putative connection between ERY and STR resistance mechanisms, 13 C. coli isolates initially susceptible to STR and ERY were exposed to STR, and resistant variants were characterized. We also assessed the development of ERY resistance with a similar method. Finally, the effect of the putative CmeABC efflux pump inhibitor phenyl-arginine-beta-naphthylamine on STR resistance was tested. Our studies showed an association between mutations in the rpsL gene and STR resistance in C. coli. Further, mutations obtained in vitro were more diverse than those occurring in vivo. However, we observed no resistance associated mutations in the other genes studied, and selection with STR did not result in variants resistant to ERY and vice versa. None of the isolates harbored the aadE gene, and no differences in STR minimum inhibitory concentration levels were detected in the presence or absence of phenyl-arginine-beta-naphthylamine. In conclusion, we found that STR resistance was associated with mutations in the rpsL gene, but no obvious association between STR and ERY resistance mechanisms was found in C. coli.

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This study was conducted to elucidate the accuracy of the current streptomycin epidemiological cut-off value (ECOFF) for Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. A total of 236 Salmonella enterica and 208 E. coli isolates exhibiting MICs between 4 and 32 mg/L were selected from 12 countries. Isolates were investigated by polymerase chain reaction for aadA, strA, and strB streptomycin resistance genes. Out of 236 Salmonella isolates, 32 (13.5%) yielded amplicons for aadA (n = 23), strA (n = 9), and strB (n = 11). None of the 60 Salmonella isolates exhibiting MIC 4 mg/L harbored resistance genes. Of the Salmonella isolates exhibiting MICs 8 mg/L, 16 mg/L, and 32 mg/L, 1.6%, 15%, and 39%, respectively, tested positive for one or more genes. For most monitoring programs, the streptomycin ECOFF for Salmonella is wild type (WT) ≤32 or ≤16 mg/L. A cut-off value of WT ≤32 mg/L would have misclassified 13.5% of the strains as belonging to the WT population, since this proportion of strains harbored resistance genes and exhibited MICs ≤32 mg/L. Out of 208 E. coli strains, 80 (38.5%) tested positive for aadA (n = 69), strA (n = 18), and strB (n = 31). Of the E. coli isolates exhibiting MICs of 4 mg/L, 8 mg/L, 16 mg/L, and 32 mg/L, 3.6%, 17.6%, 53%, and 82.3%, respectively, harbored any of the three genes. Based on the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing guidelines (ECOFF ≤16 mg/L), 25% of the E. coli strains presenting MIC ≤16 mg/L would have been incorrectly categorized as belonging to the WT population. The authors recommend an ECOFF value of WT ≤16 mg/L for Salmonella and WT ≤8 mg/L for E. coli.

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