Serological Characterization and Prevalence of spvRGenes in SalmonellaIsolated from Foods Involved in Outbreaks in Brazil

Salmonellastrains (n= 75) isolated from foods involved in foodborne outbreaks occurred in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, during 1999 and 2000 were studied. Strains were serotyped and submitted to PCR analysis to verify the prevalence of Salmonellaplasmid virulence (spvR) regulatory gene. Among the 75 isolates, 73 (97%) were classified as Salmonella entericaserovar Enteritidis. All of the Salmonellastrains isolated in 1999 were classified as serotype Enteritidis, whereas in 2000 two isolates were serotyped as SalmonellaDerby and SalmonellaTyphimurium. Regarding the prevalence of spvRgene, 62 strains (82.7%) were PCR positive, and a positive correlation (P< 0.05) between the strains of SalmonellaEnteritidis and the presence of spvRgene was demonstrated, which suggests that this gene is a characteristicof the SalmonellaEnteritidis analyzed.