Antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella spp. identified from retail pork and raw side salads from Busia County, Kenya

BACKGROUND: Consumption of food contaminated with antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) Salmonella spp. poses significant public health risks. METHODS: We investigated AMR patterns in non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) isolated from raw pork, ready-to-eat pork and side salads from butcheries in Busia County, Kenya (April-October 2019). A total of 81 isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing using disc diffusion according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute 2018 guidelines. RESULTS: Of the isolates, 90% (73/81) were resistant to at least one antibiotic, 22.2% were multidrug resistant and 9.8% exhibited extended drug resistance. High resistance was observed to gentamicin (70.4%), ampicillin (38.3%) and cefuroxime (37%). CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of AMR Salmonella in pork and salad samples highlights the risk of transmission to humans in Kenya. These findings underscore the urgent need for strengthened food safety practices, antimicrobial stewardship and integrated AMR surveillance across livestock value chains.