The emergence and dissemination of Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1) are strongly associated with the occurrence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) enterobacteria in humans and animals. Diverse SGI1s have been reported among Salmonella enterica and Proteus mirabilis in several countries. We aimed to characterize SGI1 in P. mirabilis isolates from humans and chickens in Chungcheong Province, Korea. A total of 44 P. mirabilis isolates were recovered from humans (n = 20) and chickens (n = 24). Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion assay. To detect and characterize SGI1s, PCR amplification and PCR mapping experiments were performed. Repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (REP-PCR) was performed to assess the clonality of the isolates. The four P. mirabilis strains (16.7%) from chicken harbored a SGI1, whereas none of the isolates from clinical specimens contained SGI1. The SGI1s detected in our study were all confirmed as SGI1-PmABB harboring aminoglycoside-resistant genes (aacCA5 and aadA7). In P. mirabilis isolates, the presence of SGI1-PmABB was significantly correlated with high resistance rates of the isolates to antimicrobial agents, such as gentamicin, streptomycin, and spectinomycin. Moreover, the four SGI1-bearing isolates showed the same REP-PCR patterns and that suggested both horizontal and clonal spread of the isolates. This study is the first attempt to determine SGI1s in P. mirabilis isolates in Korea. We confirmed that P. mirabilis isolates carrying SGI1-PmABB were distributed at poultry farms in Korea. The present study emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of SGI1s to prevent spreading of the MDR genomic islands among P. mirabilis isolates from humans and animals.
Keywords: P. mirabilis; Salmonella genomic island 1; antimicrobial agents; chicken; resistance.