Detection of novel gyrA mutations in nalidixic acid-resistant isolates of Salmonella enterica from patients with diarrhoea

The aim of the current study was to detect mutations in the gyrA gene of quinolone-resistant Salmonella spp. isolates recovered in Tehran, Iran. Between April 2008 and September 2009, 174 Salmonella spp. were collected and assayed for quinolone resistance and detection of gyrA mutations. Isolates identified as Salmonella enterica were tested for susceptibility by the disk diffusion method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequencing of the gyrA gene segment encoding the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) were performed for the nalidixic acid-resistant isolates. Amongst the 174 recovered Salmonella spp. isolates, 89 were resistant to nalidixic acid, of which 9 were resistant to enrofloxacin; 10 isolates had reduced susceptibility to nalidixic acid. None of the isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, but a single isolate showed reduced susceptibility. Twelve types of amino acid replacement were found in the QRDR region of GyrA, namely the previously described substitutions in positions 83 and 87 as well as five new substitutions Leu41-Pro, Arg47-Ser, Ser111-Thr, Ala118-Thr and Asp147-Gly. Double substitutions in both positions 83 and 87 were not identified. A Gly133-Glu substitution was identified in a single S. enterica serotype Typhi isolate.