Antibiotic resistance and molecular characterization of the hydrogen sulfide-negative phenotype among diverse Salmonella serovars in China

BACKGROUND: Among 2179 Salmonella isolates obtained during national surveillance for salmonellosis in China from 2005 to 2013, we identified 46 non-H(2)S-producing strains originating from different sources. METHODS: The isolates were characterized in terms of antibiotic resistance and genetic variability by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Mutation in the phs operon, which may account for the non-H(2)S-producing phenotype of the isolated Salmonella strains, was performed in this study. RESULTS: Among isolated non-H(2)S-producing Salmonella strains, more than 50% were recovered from diarrhea patients, of which H(2)S-negative S. Gallinarum, S. Typhimurium, S. Choleraesuis and S. Paratyphi A isolates constituted 76%. H(2)S-negative isolates exhibited a high rate of resistance to ticarcillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline, and eight of them had the multidrug resistance phenotype. Most H(2)S-negative Salmonella isolates had similar pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles and the same sequence type as H(2)S-positive strains, indicating a close origin, but carried mutations in the phsA gene, which may account for the non-H(2)S-producing phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that multiple H(2)S-negative strains have emerged and persist in China, emphasizing the necessity to implement efficient surveillance measures for controlling dissemination of these atypical Salmonella strains. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-018-3209-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.