Prevalence, Serovars, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella in Cecal Samples of Chickens Slaughtered in Pluck Shops in Trinidad

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and zonal distribution of Salmonella serotypes in poultry and to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile of Salmonella isolates. A total of 1,503 cecal samples of poultry were randomly collected from 33 pluck shops across Trinidad. Isolation and identification of Salmonella followed standard methods, and the disk diffusion method was used to determine resistance of isolates to 14 antimicrobial agents. Ninety-one (6.1%) of the 1,503 samples collected from four zones were positive for Salmonella. The frequency of isolation of Salmonella from chicken ceca (6.5%) was higher than that detected in duck ceca (5.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Ten serotypes were detected, with Salmonella Molade, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica I, and Salmonella Typhimurium the most prevalent at 56.0, 11.0, and 8.8%, respectively. The highest frequency of isolation of Salmonella was recorded in the northeast zone (59.3%). All 91 isolates exhibited resistance to at least 1 of the 14 antimicrobial agents. The highest frequency of resistance was exhibited to ampicillin (51.0%), kanamycin (49.5%), and streptomycin (37.4%). A total of 22 resistance patterns were exhibited by the 91 isolates of Salmonella, and 13 isolates (14.3%) exhibited multiple drug resistance. The results emphasize the need to implement hygienic practices to reduce the levels of contamination at poultry pluck shops and the need for prudent use of antimicrobial agents in the poultry production system in Trinidad.

Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Salmonella Isolates on Chickens Processed and Retailed at Outlets of the Informal Market in Gauteng Province, South Africa

“…Other studies of the pathogens of poultry in South Africa have similarly reported a high prevalence of MDR in Salmonella isolates in chickens and other livestock, thus highlighting their therapeutic and public health implications [42,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. The prevalence of MDR in the current study is higher than was reported, also using the disc diffusion method, for Salmonella from chickens (caeca) in Trinidad, 14.3% [46], Portugal, 75.0% [57], China, 80.0% [58], and in the USA, 92.0% [59], but lower than that reported for isolates in Nepal, 100% [60], Mauritius, 100% [61] and Trinidad, 100.0% [41] and globally [34].…”

“…Similarly, high prevalence of resistant Salmonella has been reported for chickens slaughtered in the outlets of the 'wet market' in other countries, such as in the cecal contents of chickens slaughtered in 'pluck shops' in Trinidad [46] where 100.0% of the Salmonella isolates were resistant to antimicrobial agents which included 10 of the 16 used in the current study and in India where 100.0% (51/51) of Salmonella isolates from the rectal swabs in poultry exhibited resistance to 16 antimicrobial agents [49].…”

“…Another potential contributing factor to the significantly different prevalence of resistance to antimicrobial agents among Salmonella across townships is the practice of contractors purchasing live chickens from commercial broiler and layer farms across the province and supplying them to the outlets of the informal market [22,28]. Geographical location and farm size are some of the factors that have been reported to significantly facilitate the carriage and spread of Salmonella [45][46][47][48].…”

Molecular characterization of Salmonella isolates recovered from slaughtered poultry in Trinidad

“…Suspect typical colonies of Salmonella which were large, glossy black‐centered or almost completely black colonies, were streaked for isolation on blood agar plates and incubated at 37°C for 24 hr to obtain pure cultures. These pure cultures were then used for the identification of Salmonella strains using biochemical tests as earlier described (Khan et al., 2018; Kumar et al., 2019).…”

“…Serotyping of Salmonella spp. has been the predominant practice to determine the serotypes and the relatedness of strains recovered from foods, animals, humans, and the environment and during disease investigations in the Caribbean region (Adesiyun, Stewart‐Johnson, & Thompson, 2009; Adesiyun et al., 2014; Buteux et al., 2020, Guyomard‐Rabenirina et al, 2019; Gopee, Adesiyun, & Caesar, 2000; Indar‐Harrinauth et al, 2001; Khan, Georges, Rahaman, Abdela, & Adesiyun, 2018; Kumar, Mohan, Georges, Dziva, & Adesiyun, 2019; Rampersad et al, 1999; Rhynd et al., 2014; Seepersadsingh & Adesiyun, 2003).…”