Complete nucleotide sequence of a 43-kilobase genomic island associated with the multidrug resistance region of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 and its identification in phage type DT120 and serovar Agona.

This study describes the characterization of the recently described Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1) (D. A. Boyd, G. A. Peters, L.-K. Ng, and M. R. Mulvey, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 189:285-291, 2000), which harbors the genes associated with the ACSSuT phenotype in a Canadian isolate of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104. A 43-kb region has been completely sequenced and found to contain 44 predicted open reading frames (ORFs) which comprised approximately 87% of the total sequence. Fifteen ORFs did not show any significant homology to known gene sequences. A number of ORFs show significant homology to plasmid-related genes, suggesting, at least in part, a plasmid origin for the SGI1, although some with homology to phage-related genes were identified. The SGI1 was identified in a number of multidrug-resistant DT120 and S. enterica serovar Agona strains with similar antibiotic-resistant phenotypes. The G+C content suggests a potential mosaic structure for the SGI1. Emergence of the SGI1 in serovar Agona strains is discussed.