MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SALMONELLA-ENTERITIDIS

Sixteen strains of Salmonella enteritidis isolated in 1991 from 13 unr elated poultry-associated sources, 7 strains from 2 community outbreak s, and 18 human sporadic isolates were investigated by phage typing, a nalysis of rRNA gene restriction patterns (ribotyping) and plasmid pro files. Four different phage types and 10 SphI patterns were found, whe reas plasmids were identical in all but 4 isolates. Only one ribotype (RT A) occurred among both human and avian strains. This particular ri botype was also responsible for the two outbreaks investigated, sugges ting that such strains may be of special significance for the increase of S. enteritidis infections.