Research progress of integron-mediated antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella

Abstract:

Salmonella are a group of zoonotic pathogens threatening the public health. The invasion of Salmonella into humans and livestock causes typhoid and paratyphoid fever, gastroenteritis, septicaemia, and extraintestinal focal infections. Antimicrobials are an effective treatment for serious Salmonella infections. However, the extensive use of antimicrobials in clinical practice and animal husbandry has led to increasing antimicrobial resistance among Salmonella. Integrons, mobile genetic elements ubiquitous in bacteria, can efficiently capture exogenous genes and ensure their expression. Moreover, these integrons could be complexed with transposons, plasmids, etc., consequently enabling the intra- and interspecies dissemination of multiple antimicrobial resistance genes in bacteria. Over the past two decades, the emergence of new gene arrangements and complex integrons in gene cassettes has led to the rapid evolution of integron systems. Integrons play a significant role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella. In this paper, we summarized the molecular structure, classification, and action mechanism of integron systems, and reviewed the progress of research on class I, II, and III integron-mediated antimicrobial resistance presented in Salmonella, together with the available detection methods, aiming to provide a reference for the research on antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella.