Fifteen isolates of Escherichia coli obtained from the blood and tissues of septic foals had plasmid DNA of size ranging from 2.5 to 93 megadaltons. These isolates grew in normal equine serum (serum resistant), a trait previously documented to be expressed by isolates obtained from blood and tissues of septic foals, but not by isolates obtained from the feces of clinically normal horses. Of these isolates, 3 contained conjugal plasmids that encoded resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents linked to serum resistance and, in 1 isolate, to production of aerobactin as well. Serum resistance and production of aerobactin are related to virulence of septicemic E coli from non-equine sources.

Vaginal aerobic bacterial flora was studied in 5 healthy bitches before, during, and after a 10-day period of treatment with ampicillin and an equally long period of treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Blood variables and antimicrobial drug susceptibility also were studied. Bacteria were isolated from all bitches before the first treatment period. Bitches from which only a sparse number of bacteria were isolated had flora that varied from day to day. In most instances when bitches were given an antibiotic to which their vaginal bacterial flora was susceptible, these bacteria were eradicated after only 1 day of treatment. This was true for pasteurellae, streptococci, and, in all but one case, Escherichia coli. Staphylococcus intermedius was more difficult to eradicate, and, although susceptible in vitro, it was unaffected by antibiotic treatment in 1 bitch and it took 7 days to eradicate in another. Eradication of aerobic bacteria in the vagina was total only in the bitch that had sparse flora from the beginning. Bacteria colonized within 0 (in 4/5 bitches) to 4 days after termination of treatment with ampicillin and within 0 (in 4/5 bitches) to 3 days for trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Mycoplasmas emerged during and after both treatment periods, and E coli became apparent during treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Because mycoplasmas may be genital pathogens in bitches and E coli is a common uropathogen, their appearance should be an argument against widespread use of antibiotics in healthy breeding bitches. Two bitches developed a vaginal discharge during treatment or shortly after. Blood variables did not change during the study, nor did antimicrobial drug resistance of the isolated bacteria.

Streptococcal species isolated from dairy cows with clinical mastitis were obtained from mastitis research workers in Florida, Louisiana, New York, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia. Seventy-one streptococcal isolates were tested, including 39 strains of Streptococcus agalactiae, 21 strains of S dysgalactiae, and 11 strains of S uberis. The minimal inhibitory concentration of erythromycin, lincomycin, oxytetracycline, penicillin, spectinomycin, streptomycin, and tetracycline was determined for each isolate. Differences were not detected among strains with respect to geographic origin. None of the strains was resistant to penicillin. Lincomycin was the next most effective antimicrobial, with only 2 resistant strains of each streptococcal species. There were no differences among the streptococcal species with respect to resistance to either penicillin or lincomycin. Streptococcus uberis was more likely to be resistant to erythromycin than were S agalactiae and S dysgalactiae (P < 0.02). Streptococcus agalactiae and S uberis had similar distributions for resistance to oxytetracycline, tetracycline, spectinomycin, and streptomycin. Strains of S dysgalactiae were more likely to have intermediate resistance to oxytetracycline and streptomycin than were strains of S agalactiae and S uberis, which were highly resistant to oxytetracycline and streptomycin (P < 0.001). Differences were not detected among the streptococcal species with respect to resistance to spectinomycin. Resistance to multiple antimicrobials was observed in all streptococcal species tested. Although S dysgalactiae appeared to have a greater percentage of strains (73%) that were resistant to multiple antimicrobials than did S agalactiae (31%) or S uberis (45%), differences were not statistically significant.

Resistance of gram-negative bacteria to gentamicin has become an increasingly common problem among clinical isolates from human beings. Susceptibility of isolates from horses to gentamicin and amikacin was evaluated for the period from July, 1983 to June, 1985. All isolates of Escherichia coli, and species of Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Pseudomonas examined were susceptible to amikacin, except 2 of the 46 Pseudomonas isolates. In contrast, 13 to 50% of isolates were resistant to gentamicin. Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella, Proteus, and Enterobacter species isolates were highly significantly more susceptible to amikacin (P less than 0.01) than to gentamicin. Pseudomonas spp (P = 0.13) were not significantly different in susceptibility to the 2 drugs. There was significant variation among genera in their susceptibility to gentamicin (P = 0.002), primarily because of the frequency of resistance in isolates of Klebsiella spp and Proteus spp, compared with the other 3 organisms (E coli, Enterobacter spp, and Pseudomonas spp). There was no significant difference of susceptibility to amikacin among the genera studied (P = 0.06).

This paper dealt wih the distribution of Shigella spp. on 5 piggeries in Taegu and Kyongbuk during the period from August to October 1987. Isolated Shigella were examined for serogrouping, antimicrobial drug resistance and detection of R plasmid. Genetic properties of R plasmid in Shigella were examined for fertility inhibition (F1) and gel electrophoresis was performed for the isolation of plasmid DNA. Of total 2,978 samples from 5 piggeries, 82 strains (2.8 %) of Shigella spp. were isolated from 82 samples. The isolated strains were identified as S. dysenteriae (60 strains), S. flexneri (20 strains) and S. sonnei (2 strains). Of the 82 strains examined 67 (95.1 %) were resistant to one or more antibiotics, such as ampicillin (Am), chloramphenicol (Cm), kanamycin (Km), nalidixic acid (Na), rifampicin (Rf), streptomycin (Sm), sulfademethoxine (Su), and tetracycline (Tc) and higher resistance to Su (90.2 %), Sm (63.4 %) and Tc (63.4 %). Of the 78 resistant Shigella strains 26 (33.3 %) harbored conjugative R plasmids and the transfer frequency of Sm (50.0 %), Cm (33.3 %) resistance was much higher than that of the other drug resistance. The most common resistant patterns were SmSuTc, Su and AmSmSuTc. Out of the 26 Shigella R plasmids examined for Fi, 14 (53.8 % were Fi + and the remainder were Fi-. The plasmid DNA profiles in Shigella spp. (9 strains) isolated from pigs were confirmed as being 2 to 9 fragments by the gel electrophoresis. Their molecular size ranged 2.17 to 87.62 kilobase (Kb). All strains of Shigella spp. consisted in 15.4 Kb plasmids.

This paper deals with the distribution of Salmonella (S) infection on 4 herds in Kyungju and Taegu during the period from May to October 1986. Isolated Salmonella were examined for serotypes, antimicrobial drug resistance and detection of R plasmid. From 4 herds, 67 Salmonella were isolated from 51 samples (1.1%), and their serovar strains were S. typhimurium 6, S. derby 5, S. infantis 4, S. bareilly 4, S. dublin 3, S. anatum 2, S. montevideo 2 and untypable 41. In 4 herds, the incidence of drug resistance was 57.7-100% and transfer frequency of conjugative R plasmid was 96.1-100%.