Occurrence and characterization of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar 9,12:l,v:- strains from Bulgaria, Denmark, and the United States.

ABSTRACT

In 2006, Salmonella enterica serovar I 9,12l,v- emerged in Bulgaria. The aim of this study was to characterize Salmonella serovar I 9,12l,v- isolates from Bulgaria, Denmark, and the United States. We compared isolates of Salmonella I 9,12l,v- and diphasic serovars with similar antigenic formulas by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and antimicrobial susceptibility. The phase 2 flagellin gene (fljB) was also sequenced for selected isolates. By PFGE, the Salmonella I 9,12l,v- isolates from Bulgaria were indistinguishable from the isolate from the United States and distinct from isolates from Denmark; furthermore, several Salmonella I 9,12l,v- were indistinguishable from an isolate of Salmonella serovar Goettingen. Sequence analysis showed 100% sequence identity with known He,n,z15 sequences of Salmonella Goettingen, which has the antigenic formula I 9,12l,ve,n,z15. The study indicated that Salmonella I 9,12l,v- is a monophasic variant of Salmonella Goettingen and is present in different countries and on different continents.