IS 200 fingerprint of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium human strains isolated in Sardinia

A collection of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium human strains isolated in Northern Sardinia (Italy) was examined for the insertion sequence IS 200 , phage type, antibiotic profile, ribotyping polymorphisms and plasmid profile. All clinical isolates studied contained from 4 to 10 copies of the IS 200 element. IS 200 permitted to discriminate Typhimurium strains and to identify five IS 200 types, some of them circulating in Sardinia at least since 1900. Strains belonging to phage DT104 predominated and correlated with a specific IS 200 pattern.