Distribution and Drug Resistance of Salmonella Causing Enteric Fever in Taegu Area of Korea

대구지방에서의 장열성 Salmonella의 분포와 항균제내성

Salmonella strains isolated from blood in the Dong-san hospital, Taegu during the period from 1971 to 1986 were studied for species distribution, drug resistance, and R plasmids. The number of strains was 2,527 and all of them were classified into S. typhi and S. paratyphi A. Approximately 300 strains were isolated in the period from 1974 to 1976 and 1978, 268 in 1982, and 204 in 1983, but the numbers isolated in the 1980's have a tendency to decrease as compared with those of the 1970's. S. typhi occupied 85% or more of strains isolated until 1976, but the isolation frequency decreased yearly with some variation, and S. paratyphi A increased gradually from 1974. Only 4 strains of S. paratyphi A were resistant to some drugs, and the resistance was not transferred to E. coli by conjugation. S. typhi resistant to drugs were 15 in 1971 through 1973, 24 in 1974, and 13 in 1975, but afterwards only few resistant strains were isolated. These strains were resistant to two or more drugs; chloramphenicol(Cm), tetracycline(Tc), streptomycin(Sm), sulfisomidine(Su), ampicillin(Ap), and kanamycin(Km) and no strain resistant to other drugs tested was found. Strains resistant to 3 or less drugs didn't transfer the resistance to E. coli by conjugation. There were 15 strains resistant to four or more drugs, and were isolated in years from 1972 to 1976. These strains transferred the resistance to E. coli, and the resistance was considered to be mediated by R plasmids. Transfer frequency was higher at $25^{\circ}C$ than at $37^{\circ}C$ and patterns of transferred resistance were Cm, Tc, Sm, Su; Ap, Km; Cm. R plasmids having markers of Cm, Tc, Sm and Su were classified into Inc H1.