Detection of Type III Secretion System Virulence and Mutations in gyrA and parC Genes Among Quinolone-Resistant Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Imported Shrimp

Twenty Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were recovered from imported frozen raw shrimp sold in the United States. Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility to quinolones and analyzed for mutations in quinolone resistance-determining regions, presence of type III secretion system genes, and genetic relatedness using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. All isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid. Polymerase chain reaction assays detected exoS, exoT, exoU, and exoY among isolates. Eight unique pulsed-field gel electrophoresis clusters were generated. Mutations were found in gyrA at codon 83 (Ile to Thr) and in parC at codon 87 (Leu to Ser). Together, these findings reveal that imported shrimp may harbor virulent and quinolone-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa.