Molecular and phenotypic characteristics of Salmonella enterica serovar 4,5,12:i:- isolated from cattle and humans in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

A total of 15 isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar 4,5,12:i:- obtained from diseased cows and patients in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, were characterized to clarify the genetic basis of this serovar. S. Typhimurium- specific IS200 was detected from all the isolates. A 94-kb plasmid and the spvB gene were detected from all but one of the 15 isolates. The results of PCR mapping of the fljAB operon and its flanking regions indicate that there are deletions or mutations in this chromosomal region. These data suggest that the 15 isolates are monophasic variants of S. Typhimurium. Epidemiological relationships between the isolates obtained from cattle and humans were not suspected based on the comparison of data employing plasmid profiling and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.