PCR-Based Identification of Streptomycin Resistance in Salmonella Serovars Using a Novel Primer Set

Streptomycin has been used to treat bubonic plague and tularemia and, as a second line of antibiotic drug of choice, to treat tuberculosis. Streptomycin is also used as a pesticide to control bacteria, fungi, and algae in zoonotic and plant diseases. Extensive use of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens. Sheng Chen and colleagues (2004) have shown that 73 of 133 Salmonella isolates obtained from retail meats in the U.S. and China were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 61% of them were resistant to streptomycin. To understand antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella, it is important to develop molecular and biophysical tools to study streptomycin resistance.