Genotypes of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium from two regions of Kenya

A combination of phage typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of XbaI-digested chromosomal DNA has been used to study the epidemiological relationships of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium from Nairobi (64 isolates) and Kilifi (40 isolates) collected over the period 1994-1997. Isolates from Nairobi belonged to 11 definitive phage types (DTs) encompassing eight different PFGE patterns. In contrast, isolates from Kilifi were mainly DT 56 (60%) and all fell into a single PFGE pattern. The remaining isolates did not conform to a recognisable phage type. We conclude that multidrug-resistant S. typhimurium infections from Nairobi were caused by multiple strains while those From Kilifi were likely to be from a microepidemic caused by a single clone, (C) 2000 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.