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. 2025 Jan 25;13(2):270.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13020270.

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella Strains Isolated from Chicken Samples in Southern Italy

Pietro Di Taranto  1 , Fiorenza Petruzzi  1 , Giovanni Normanno  2 , Carmine Pedarra  1 , Gilda Occhiochiuso  1 , Simona Faleo  1 , Antonella Didonna  1 , Domenico Galante  1 , Lorenzo Pace  1 , Valeria Rondinone  1 , Carmelinda Trisolini  1 , Laura Del Sambro  1 , Matteo Beverelli  1 , Roberta Catanzariti  1 , Marta Caruso  1 , Lucia Palazzo  1 , Adriana Di Castri  1 , Antonio Parisi  1
Affiliations

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella Strains Isolated from Chicken Samples in Southern Italy

Pietro Di Taranto et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Salmonellosis is one of the most frequent foodborne zoonoses, and the consumption of contaminated poultry meat is considered the main source of Salmonella infections in humans. From 2021 to 2023, 384 chicken samples were collected from retailers in Apulia and Basilicata regions and analysed at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata (IZSPB) laboratories. The Salmonella isolates were investigated to evaluate their phenotypic characteristics of antimicrobial resistance. A total of 125 (32.55%) samples tested positive for Salmonella spp. Three samples were simultaneously infected with strains of two different serotypes. Strains were classified into nine serotypes. Out of 128 strains, 112 (87.5%) isolates showed multidrug-resistant (MDR) profiles. Moreover, 16 isolates (12.5%) were ESBL producers with MDR profiles. Our data confirm that chicken products are a common source of Salmonella and highlight how S. Infantis was the most prevalent serotype (85.93%). Furthermore, Salmonella isolates showed antimicrobial resistance, which is very worrisome for animals and consumers. The high rate of antibiotic resistance along with the appearance of numerous MDR isolates is considered an actual concern and requires a robust surveillance network in a One Health concept.

Keywords: Salmonella spp.; antimicrobial resistance; chicken; serotyping.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of the prevalence rate of AMR distribution in Apulia and Basilicata regions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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