Partial Correlation Between Phenotypic and Genotypic Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella enterica Serovar...

Whole-genome sequencing analyses have provided important data and information on the repertoire of resistance genes in several bacterial species. This study examined to what extent the antimicrobial resistance genes found in a set of whole-genome-sequenced Salmonella Enteritidis strains from Brazil correlated with the phenotypic antimicrobial resistance possibly related to these genes. The genotypic resistance data from the strains studied were compared with publicly available data from strains isolated in other countries. The genotypic resistance profiles were accessed on the NCBI Pathogen Detection website, and the phenotypic resistance profiles were determined by the disk diffusion technique according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Fourteen of the 256 sequenced strains presented antimicrobial resistance genes, with the highest prevalence of resistance genes to aminoglycosides-with 16 genes detected in seven strains-not only in Brazilian strains but also in the strains from other parts of the world. The strongest correlation between phenotypic and genotypic resistance was found for tetracycline (75%). The genotypic and phenotypic profiles of the S. Enteritidis strains studied only partially matched, and they diverged in some antimicrobial classes more strongly than in other classes. The advances on whole-genome sequencing analyses associated with a better understanding of the correlation between phenotypic and genotypic resistance data may improve this powerful tool for antimicrobial resistance prediction.