Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.01054-07
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.
Zoo Animals as a Reservoir of Gram-Negative Bacteria Harboring Integrons and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes
Ashraf M. Ahmed,
Yusuke Motoi,
Maiko Sato,
Akito Maruyama,
Hitoshi Watanabe,
Yukio Fukumoto,
and
Tadashi Shimamoto*
Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan; Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park, Asa-cho Asakita-ku, Hiroshima 731-3355, Japan; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafr El-Sheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh 33516, Egypt
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email:
tadashis{at}hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
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Abstract |
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A total of 232 isolates of gram-negative bacteria were recovered from mammals, reptiles and birds housed at Zoological Park, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan. 49 isolates (21.1%) showed multidrug resistance phenotypes and harbored at least one antimicrobial resistance gene. PCR and DNA sequencing identified class 1 and class 2 integrons and many
-lactamase-encoding genes, in addition to a novel ampC
-lactamase gene, blaCMY-26. Furthermore, the plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes, qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr, were also identified.