Lactose-fermenting, multiple drug-resistant Salmonella typhi strains isolated from a patient with postoperative typhoid fever

Abstract

Two lactose-fermenting Salmonella typhi strains were isolated from bile and blood specimens of a typhoid fever patient who underwent a cholecystectomy due to cholelithiasis. One lactose-fermenting S. typhi strain was also isolated from a pus specimen which was obtained at the tip of the T-shaped tube withdrawn from the operative wound of the common bile duct of the patient. These three lactose-fermenting isolates: GIFU 11924 from bile, GIFU 11926 from pus, and GIFU 11927 from blood, were phenotypically identical to the type strain (GIFU 11801 = ATCC 19430 = NCTC 8385) of S. typhi, except that the three strains fermented lactose and failed to blacken the butt of Kligler iron agar or triple sugar iron agar medium. All three lactose-fermenting strains were resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, sulfomethoxazole, trimethoprim, gentamicin, cephaloridine, and four other antimicrobial agents. The type strain was uniformly susceptible to these 10 drugs. The strain GIFU 11925, a lactose-negative dissociant from strain GIFU 11926, was also susceptible to these drugs, with the sole exception of chloramphenicol (minimal inhibitory concentration, 100 micrograms/ml).