Antibiotic susceptibility in benzalkonium chloride-resistant and-susceptible Listeria monocytogenes strains

This study aimed to investigate whether Listeria monocytogenes strains with resistance to a commonly used biocide display any cross-resistance to antibiotics. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), 29 different PFGE types were previously identified in an Iberian pig abattoir and processing plant. Only three PFGE types were resistant to benzalkonium chloride (BAC), but they represented a significant proportion of the PFGE types surviving in the plant after 4 years. In the present study, a subset of 29 strains, representing the 29 different PFGE types, underwent antibiotic susceptibility testing. Antibiotic susceptibility was assessed by Etest, utilizing 12 commonly prescribed antibiotics. All of the 29 strains were susceptible to all of the antibiotics tested. The study revealed that this group of different PFGE types of L. monocytogenes, including those resistant to BAC, possesses uniform sensitivity to antibiotics. © 2014 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.