Biofilm production, hitherto an uncharacterized feature among circulating Pasteurella multocida strains, was studied along with the antibiotic susceptibility pattern. On the basis of biofilm formation ability, all the strains were categorized into four groups under six different culture conditions: strong biofilm-forming (22%), moderate (19%), weak (51%), and non-adherent (7%). Strains from serogroups A and B formed significant biofilms in at least one culture condition whereas strains from serogroup D were unable to form biofilms. All strains were found to be susceptible to tetracycline. In addition, the correlation between diverse factors (host, capsule type, clinical condition and the tadD gene) as well as antimicrobial susceptibility in biofilm production were analyzed by Joint distribution models, and showed that enrofloxacin and azithromycin resistant strains were positively correlated with strong biofilm production.
Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Model based analysis; Pasteurella multocida; biofilm; strain diversity.