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Since its emergence in the beginning of the 90's, multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica subsp . enterica serovar Kentucky has become a significant public health problem, especially in East Africa. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profile and the genotypic relatedness of Salmonella Kentucky isolated from animal sources in Ethiopia and Kenya (n=19). We also investigated population evolutionary dynamics through phylogenetic and pangenome analyses with additional publicly available Salmonella Kentucky ST198 genomes (n=229). All the 19 sequenced Salmonella Kentucky isolates were identified as ST198. Among these isolates, the predominant genotypic antimicrobial resistance profile observed in ten (59.7%) isolates included the aac(3)-Id , aadA7 , strA - strB , bla TEM-1B , sul1 , and tet (A) genes, which mediated resistance to gentamicin, streptomycin/spectinomycin, streptomycin, ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline, respectively; and gyr A and par C mutations associated to ciprofloxacin resistance. Four isolates harbored plasmid types Incl1 and/or Col8282; two of them carried both plasmids. Salmonella Pathogenicity islands (SPI-1 to SPI-5) were highly conserved in the 19 sequenced Salmonella Kentucky isolates. Moreover, at least one Pathogenicity Island (SPI 1-4, SPI 9 or C63PI) was identified among the 229 public Salmonella Kentucky genomes. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that almost all Salmonella Kentucky ST198 isolates (17/19) stemmed from a single strain that has accumulated ciprofloxacin resistance-mediating mutations. A total of 8,104 different genes were identified in a heterogenic and still open Salmonella Kentucky ST198 pangenome. Considering the virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes detected in Salmonella Kentucky, the implications of this pathogen to public health and the epidemiological drivers for its dissemination must be investigated., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Saraiva, Benevides, Silva, Varani, Freitas Neto, Berchieri, Delgado-Suárez, Rocha, Eguale, Munyalo, Kariuki, Gebreyes and Oliveira.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence, antimicrobial resistance patterns, phenotypic and genotypic relatedness of Salmonella enterica recovered from captive wildlife host species and in the environment in Ohio, USA. A total of 319 samples including faecal (n = 225), feed (n = 38) and environmental (n = 56) were collected from 32 different wild and exotic animal species in captivity and their environment in Ohio. Salmonellae were isolated using conventional culture methods and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility with the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Salmonella isolates were serotyped, and genotyping was performed using the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Salmonella was detected in 56 of 225 (24.9%) faecal samples; six of 56 (10.7%) environmental samples and six of 38 (15.8%) feed samples. Salmonella was more commonly isolated in faecal samples from giraffes (78.2%; 36/46), cranes (75%; 3/4) and raccoons (75%; 3/4). Salmonella enterica serotypes of known public health significance including S. Typhimurium (64.3%), S. Newport (32.1%) and S. Heidelberg (5.3%) were identified. While the majority of the Salmonella isolates were pan-susceptible (88.2%; 60 of 68), multidrug-resistant strains including penta-resistant type, AmStTeKmGm (8.8%; six of 68) were detected. Genotypic diversity was found among S. Typhimurium isolates. The identification of clonally related Salmonella isolates from environment and faeces suggests that indirect transmission of Salmonella among hosts via environmental contamination is an important concern to workers, visitors and other wildlife. Results of this study show the diversity of Salmonella serovars and public health implications of human exposure from wildlife reservoirs., (© 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Aims: To determine the association between multicellular behaviour, integron status and antibiotic resistance among 87 Ethiopian Salmonella enterica isolates of animal and human origin., Methods and Results: Isolates were characterized for their biofilm forming ability, antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence and characteristics of a class 1 integron and Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1). The majority of isolates grown at environmental temperatures (20°C) exhibited robust biofilm formation (72·4%) and displayed RDAR colony morphology on Congo red agar plates. The presence of a class 1 integron correlated with the extent of drug resistance and ability to exhibit multicellular behaviour., Conclusions: Although cellulose production and RDAR morphology correlated with increased multicellular behaviour, neither was required for biofilm formation. Contrary to previous reports, colony morphology was generally consistent within a serovar. No integrons were detected in isolates deficient for multicellular behaviour, indicating a potential role of bacterial community formation in transfer of genetic elements among environmental isolates., Significance and Impact of Study: Infection by Salm. enterica is a major public health problem worldwide. The dominance of multidrug resistance and multicellular behaviour in Salmonella isolates of Ethiopian origin highlights a need for integrated surveillance and further detailed phenotypic and molecular studies of isolates from this region., (© 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

The study aimed to characterize the role of heavy metal micronutrients in swine feed in emergence of heavy-metal-tolerant and multidrug-resistant Salmonella organisms. We conducted a longitudinal study in 36 swine barns over a 2-year period. The feed and fecal levels of Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) were measured. Salmonella was isolated at early and late finishing. MICs of copper sulfate and zinc chloride were measured using agar dilution. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested using the Kirby-Bauer method, and 283 isolates were serotyped. We amplified pcoA and czcD genes that encode Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) tolerance, respectively. Of the 283 isolates, 113 (48%) showed Cu(2+) tolerance at 24 mM and 164 (58%) showed Zn(2+) tolerance at 8 mM. In multivariate analysis, serotype and source of isolates were significantly associated with Cu(2+) tolerance (P < 0.001). Fecal isolates were more likely to be Cu(2+) tolerant than those of feed origin (odds ratio [OR], 27.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8 to 250; P = 0.0042) or environmental origin (OR, 5.8), implying the significance of gastrointestinal selective pressure. Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhimurium and Heidelberg, highly significant for public health, had higher odds of having >20 mM MICs of Cu(2+) than did "other" serotypes. More than 60% of Salmonella isolates with resistance type (R-type) AmStTeKm (32 of 53) carried pcoA; only 5% with R-type AmClStSuTe carried this gene. czcD gene carriage was significantly associated with a higher Zn(2+) MIC (P < 0.05). The odds of having a high Zn(2+) MIC (≥8 mM) were 14.66 times higher in isolates with R-type AmClStSuTe than in those with R-type AmStTeKm (P < 0.05). The findings demonstrate strong association between heavy metal tolerance and antimicrobial resistance, particularly among Salmonella serotypes important in public health.

The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine and compare the prevalences and genotypic profiles of antimicrobial-resistant (AR) Salmonella isolates from pigs reared in antimicrobial-free (ABF) and conventional production systems at farm, at slaughter, and in their environment. We collected 2,889 pig fecal and 2,122 environmental (feed, water, soil, lagoon, truck, and floor swabs) samples from 10 conventional and eight ABF longitudinal cohorts at different stages of production (farrowing, nursery, finishing) and slaughter (postevisceration, postchill, and mesenteric lymph nodes [MLN]). In addition, we collected 1,363 carcass swabs and 205 lairage and truck samples at slaughter. A total of 1,090 Salmonella isolates were recovered from the samples; these were isolated with a significantly higher prevalence in conventionally reared pigs (4.0%; n = 66) and their environment (11.7%; n = 156) than in ABF pigs (0.2%; n = 2) and their environment (0.6%; n = 5) (P < 0.001). Salmonella was isolated from all stages at slaughter, including the postchill step, in the two production systems. Salmonella prevalence was significantly higher in MLN extracted from conventional carcasses than those extracted from ABF carcasses (P < 0.001). We identified a total of 24 different serotypes, with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Salmonella enterica serovar Anatum, Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis, and Salmonella enterica serovar Derby being predominant. The highest frequencies of antimicrobial resistance (AR) were exhibited to tetracycline (71%), sulfisoxazole (42%), and streptomycin (17%). Multidrug resistance (resistance to ≥ 3 antimicrobials; MDR) was detected in 27% (n = 254) of the Salmonella isolates from the conventional system. Our study reports a low prevalence of Salmonella in both production systems in pigs on farms, while a higher prevalence was detected among the carcasses at slaughter. The dynamics of Salmonella prevalence in pigs and carcasses were reciprocated in the farm and slaughter environment, clearly indicating an exchange of this pathogen between the pigs and their surroundings. Furthermore, the phenotypic and genotypic fingerprint profile results underscore the potential role played by environmental factors in dissemination of AR Salmonella to pigs.

The aims of this study were to determine the ability of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to differentiate Salmonella isolates from different units of swine production and to demonstrate the relatedness of Salmonella between farms and abattoirs by AFLP. Twenty-four farms in the midwestern United States were visited four times from 2006 to 2009. At each farm or abattoir visit, 30 fecal samples or 30 mesenteric lymph nodes were collected, respectively. A total of 220 Salmonella isolates were obtained, serotyped, and genotyped by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and AFLP. These 220 isolates clustered into 21 serotypes, 18 MLST types, and 14 predominant AFLP clusters based on a genetic similarity threshold level of 60%. To assess genetic differentiation between farms, harvest cohorts, and pigs, analysis of molecular variance was conducted using AFLP data. The results showed 65.62% of overall genetic variation was attributed to variance among pigs, 27.21% to farms, and 7.17% to harvest cohorts. Variance components at the farm (P = 0.003) and pig (P = 0.001) levels were significant, but not at the harvest cohort level (P = 0.079). A second analysis, a permutation test using AFLP data, indicated that on-farm and at-abattoir Salmonella from pigs of the same farms were more related than from different farms. Therefore, among the three subtyping methods, serotyping, MLST, and AFLP, AFLP was the method that was able to differentiate among Salmonella isolates from different farms and link contamination at the abattoir to the farm of origin.

We estimated the proportion of retail beef and pork products containing bla(CMY)-mediated third-generation cephalosporin resistance in commensal Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Samples were obtained from 50 grocery stores located in two U.S. states. From each store, 20 fresh meat products were purchased, including 7 packages of ground beef, 3 packages of beef steak, 6 packages of pork chops, and 4 packages of pork ribs. The resulting 1000 packages of fresh meat product were individually screened for the presence of E. coli or Salmonella harboring bla(CMY). Over 8% of all retail meat packages contained E. coli with bla(CMY), whereas 4% contained Salmonella and only 0.5% contained Salmonella with bla(CMY). Retail pork products more frequently yielded E. coli with bla(CMY) than did beef products (12.2% vs. 4.0%; p = 0.06). Salmonella were also recovered more frequently from pork than beef (5.8% vs. 2.4%; p < 0.01). In addition, all five Salmonella isolates with bla(CMY) were recovered from pork products. Our data suggest that enteric bacteria carrying bla(CMY) are frequently present in fresh retail meat products. However, we did not quantify the number of resistant bacteria present in these products, which makes the public health implications of this result unclear.

The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence and genotypic relatedness of Salmonella enterica isolates recovered from feed and fecal samples in commercial swine production units. Of 275 feed samples, Salmonella was detected in 10 feed samples that originated from 8 of 36 (22.2%) barns, with a prevalence of 3.6% (10/275 samples). In fecal samples, a prevalence of 17.2% was found at the early finishing stage (1,180/6,880 samples), with a significant reduction in prevalence (7.4%) when pigs reached market age (392/5,321 samples). Of the 280 Salmonella isolates systematically selected for further characterization, 50% of the feed isolates and 55.3% of the isolates of fecal origin showed similar phenotypes based on antimicrobial resistance patterns and serogrouping. About 44% of the isolates were multidrug resistant. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotyping grouped the 46 representative isolates into five genotypic clusters, of which four of the clusters consisted of genotypically related isolates recovered from feed and fecal samples. The occurrence of genotypically related and, in some cases, clonal strains, including multidrug-resistant isolates in commercially processed feed and fecal samples, suggests the high significance of commercial feed as a potential vehicle of Salmonella transmission.

The bla(CMY-2) family of the ampC beta-lactamase genes confer broad-spectrum resistance to beta-lactam antimicrobials, including ceftriaxone and ceftiofur, as well as to beta-lactamase inhibitors, such as clavulanic acid. Organisms with the bla(CMY-2) phenotype have been recovered from the environment and from retail meat products, posing a potential public health risk. The objectives of this study were to sequence the bla(CMY-2) gene from Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica from multiple sources that had a reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone and to determine the effect of observed mutations in the bla(CMY-2) gene on the antimicrobial resistance phenotype (spectrum and minimum inhibitory concentration/susceptibility patterns) of the isolates. The bla(CMY-2) genes from 52 bacterial isolates were sequenced for this study. Sixty-two percent (32/52) were E. coli and 38% (20/52) were S. enterica. Of the 32 E. coli isolates, 30 were found to carry a beta-lactamase gene that was 100% homologous to bla(CMY-2). One of the E. coli isolates was found to contain a gene that was 90% homologous to bla(CMY-2). This isolate also had lower minimum inhibitory concentrations to tetracyclines, streptomycin, and the sulfonamide antimicrobials than are commonly expected for isolates containing the bla(CMY-2). Of the 20 genes obtained from Salmonella isolates, 8 (40%) were found to be homologous to bla(CMY-2), with no altered susceptibility phenotypes observed.

Objective: To estimate the relationship between therapeutic use of ceftiofur and recovery of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone from feces of dairy cattle., Animals: 3,840 mature dairy cows on 50 dairy herds in Ohio. Procedures-Fecal samples were obtained from up to 100 mature dairy cows on each farm. Samples were screened for E coli and Salmonella spp with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone by use of selective media., Results: E coli with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone was recovered from 92% (46/50) of the herds and 60.9% (2,338/3,840) of cows. Salmonella spp were recovered from 44% (22/50) of the herds and 9.9% (382/3,840) of cows. No association was found between ceftiofur use and recovery of E coli with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone at the herd level. However, recovery of E coli with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone was more likely from cows in herds in which Salmonella spp were also recovered on the day of collection (odds ratio, 24.96; 95% confidence interval, 3.17 to 196.68) than from herds in which Salmonella spp were not recovered. Odds of recovery of E coli with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone from an individual cow increased 62% (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 2.25) for every 454-kg increase in herd milk production., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: No evidence was found that the use of ceftiofur on dairy farms increases the prevalence or dissemination of Salmonella spp or E coli with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone.

Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg has been recognized as one of the most common serovar associated with foodborne infections in the United States. It is also frequently isolated from nonhuman sources and has increasingly shown resistance to various antimicrobial agents. The present study was undertaken to identify the predominant antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes of Salmonella Heidelberg (n = 95) isolates of human, swine, and turkey origin. Antimicrobial susceptibility was done using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method with a panel of 12 antimicrobials. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotyping was used to determine the diversity of the isolates. The antimicrobial resistance genes and carriage of Class 1 and 2 integrons were determined by polymerase chain reaction. All Salmonella Heidelberg isolates from swine were resistant to one or more of the antimicrobials tested and the majority (73.3%) showed multidrug resistance to streptomycin, tetracycline, and kanamycin (R-type: StTeKm). About 80% of the Salmonella Heidelberg isolates of human origin were pan-susceptible, however, one isolate showed multidrug resistance to 10 of 12 antimicrobials tested. Among the multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella Heidelberg isolates, Class 1 integrons with variable sizes of 1.2 to 1.5 kb were detected in six isolates (three each) from humans and swine. DNA sequencing revealed that Class 1 integrons of both human and swine origin carried a gene encoding aminoglycoside adenyltransferase (aadA). Resistance genes identified in other loci include aphA1-Iab, strA, bla(TEM), and tetA (B). Both human and swine MDR strains of Salmonella Heidelberg carried the resistance phenotypes on self-transferable plasmids. Dendrogram analysis of pulsotypes indicated possible clonality of Salmonella Heidelberg between isolates of human and swine origin. The findings in this study indicate the increasing significance of swine as reservoirs of emerging MDR serovars, such as MDR Salmonella Heidelberg, is of public health significance.

Objective: To estimate the efficacy of a commercially available Salmonella enterica subunit vaccine on the subclinical shedding of S enterica in dairy cattle., Design: Randomized, controlled trial., Animals: 175 mature cows on 2 dairy farms with a history of S enterica infection., Procedures: 25% of the mature cows from each herd were systematically randomized to receive an S enterica subunit vaccine following label guidelines. The remaining 75% of cows in each herd served as nonvaccinated controls. Fecal samples were collected from all cows at the time of initial vaccination (day 0), booster vaccination (day 14), 2 weeks following the booster vaccination (day 28), and 10 weeks following the start of the trial (day 70). All samples were processed on the day of collection and cultured for S enterica., Results: 651 fecal samples were obtained over the entire study period. Salmonella enterica was recovered from 46 (7.1%) of the samples. Shedding of S enterica was similar for vaccinated and nonvaccinated control cows on each of the collection dates., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The study revealed no evidence that extralabel vaccination with a commercial subunit S enterica vaccine reduced shedding of S enterica in subclinically infected dairy cows in these herds.

Conventional swine production evolved to routinely use antimicrobials, and common occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella has been reported. There is a paucity of information on the antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella in swine production in the absence of antimicrobial selective pressure. Therefore, we compared the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolated from antimicrobial-free and conventional production systems. A total of 889 pigs and 743 carcasses were sampled in the study. Salmonella prevalence was significantly higher among the antimicrobial-free systems (15.2%) than the conventional systems (4.2%) (odds ratio [OR] = 4.23; P < 0.05). Antimicrobial resistance was detected against 10 of the 12 antimicrobials tested. The highest frequency of resistance was found against tetracycline (80%), followed by streptomycin (43.4%) and sulfamethoxazole (36%). Frequency of resistance to most classes of antimicrobials (except tetracycline) was significantly higher among conventional farms than antimicrobial-free farms, with ORs ranging from 2.84 for chloramphenicol to 23.22 for kanamycin at the on-farm level. A total of 28 antimicrobial resistance patterns were detected. A resistance pattern with streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline (n = 130) was the most common multidrug resistance pattern. There was no significant difference in the proportion of isolates with this pattern between the conventional (19.5%) and the antimicrobial-free systems (18%) (OR = 1.8; P > 0.05). A pentaresistance pattern with ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline was strongly associated with antimicrobial-free groups (OR = 5.4; P = 0.01). While showing the higher likelihood of finding antimicrobial resistance among conventional herds, this study also implies that specific multidrug-resistant strains may occur on antimicrobial-free farms. A longitudinal study with a representative sample size is needed to reach more conclusive results of the associations detected in this study.

Salmonella serovars are important reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance. Recently, we reported on multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains among pigs with resistance to ampicillin, kanamycin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline (resistance [R] type AKSSuT) and resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline (R type AxACSSuT). In the present study, 67 isolates (39 from humans and 28 from pigs) of clinically important Salmonella serovar Muenchen were characterized. Among the porcine isolates, 75% showed resistance to seven antimicrobials: ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and kanamycin (R type ACSSuTAxK). One isolate from humans showed resistance to 10 of the 12 antimicrobials: ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, kanamycin, gentamicin, cephalothin, and ceftriaxone (R type ACSSuTAxKGCfCro). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed no clonality between the porcine and the human strains. The porcine and the human MDR strains carried class 1 integrons of 2.0 and 1.0 kb, respectively. Genes specific to the porcine strain included aadA2, aphA1-Iab, and tetA(B). DNA sequencing revealed that the porcine isolates carried bla(OXA-30) on a class 1 integron. Genes specific to the human strain included bla(TEM), strA, strB, cmlA, tetA(A), and aadA2. No bla(CMY-2) gene was detected. Serovar Muenchen strains of porcine and human origin were able to transfer resistance genes to laboratory strain Escherichia coli MG1655 by conjugation. Plasmid restriction with four restriction enzymes, EcoRI, BamHI, HindIII, and PstI, showed that the conjugative plasmids from porcine Salmonella serovar Muenchen and Typhimurium R-type MDR strains isolated from the same farms at the same time were similar on the basis of the sizes and the numbers of bands and Southern hybridization. The plasmid profiles among the Salmonella serovar Muenchen isolates from the two host species were different. This is the first report to show a high frequency of MDR Salmonella serovar Muenchen strains from pigs and a human strain that is similar to the MDR isolates with the AmpC enzyme previously reported among Salmonella serovars Newport and Typhimurium strains. The MDR strains from the two host species independently represent public health concerns, as Salmonella serovar Muenchen is among the top 10 causes of salmonellosis in humans.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of using data obtained from slaughtered pigs for farm-level epidemiologic studies of Salmonella. The study involved groups of pigs from five farms. Salmonella isolates were obtained from on-farm samples, and a total of 370 on-farm and an additional 486 isolates from samples collected after commercial slaughter were subsequently tested. Preharvest samples included feces of individual animals from defined groups of nursery and finishing pigs on commercial farms and swabs from trucks. Postslaughter samples were cecal contents and mesenteric lymph node samples. The concordance between Salmonella serovars isolated from on-farm samples and those serovars isolated after slaughter varied widely among farms. Results of paired lymph node and cecal cultures were strongly associated (odds ratio, 7.0), but the agreement between on-farm and postslaughter results at the pig level was poor (kappa = 0.34). The results support recent findings that risk of exposure to Salmonella during transport and lairage remains a concern under contemporary industry conditions. The findings further imply that slaughter plant studies based on phenotyping of Salmonella alone (such as serovars) may not reliably indicate the Salmonella status of commercial swine farms.

The main objectives of this study were to determine antimicrobial resistance patterns among Salmonella serotypes and to evaluate the role of transport trucks in dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant strains of Salmonella. Salmonella from groups of nursery and finishing pigs on farms, from trucks, and from pigs after slaughter were compared using serotyping, patterns of antimicrobial resistance, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns. The five farms included in the study yielded 858 isolates representing 27 Salmonella serovars. The most common resistance observed (80% of all isolates) was to tetracycline; resistance to ampicillin (42%), chloramphenicol (31%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (30%), and piperacillin (31%) also were common. We found a correlation between serovar and antimicrobial resistance. High correlation was found between Salmonella Typhimurium var. Copenhagen and chloramphenicol resistance (Spearman rank correlation, rho = 0.7). Multidrug resistance was observed primarily in Salmonella Typhimurium var. Copenhagen (94%) and Salmonella Typhimurium (93%) and was much less common in the other common serovars, including Salmonella Derby (7%) and Salmonella Heidelberg (8%). Of the 225 isolates exhibiting the most common pentaresistance pattern in this study, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid-ampicillin-chloramphenicol-piperacillin-tetracycline, 220 (98%) were Salmonella Typhimurium var. Copenhagen, and 86% of the isolates of this serovar had this pattern. Isolates from the trucks were similar, based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, to those from the cecum and mesenteric lymph nodes of pigs on two of the farms, suggesting the probable infection of pigs during transport. Class I integrons were also common among various serovars.