Antimicrobial resistance profiles of rare Salmonella serovars isolated from chickens

Salmonella infections are regarded as a leading global cause of foodborne illnesses in humans, with poultry products frequently identified as sources of these infections. Therefore, understanding the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella is essential for minimising its impact on both animal health and public safety. Boot swabs were collected from chicken farms in different regions of Türkiye and tested for the presence of Salmonella. Following serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Salmonella strains was performed using the disk diffusion method. Thirteen rare serovars, including Agbeni, Bahrenfeld, Bredeney, Braenderup, Barranquilla, Caen, Eppendorf, Grampian, Isangi, Kimuenza, Othmarschen, and Rissen were identified. High levels of resistance were observed to ciprofloxacin; nine isolates were resistant to more than one antibiotic, and four were multidrug-resistant. The representativeness of the antimicrobial resistance profiles of the samples for the whole country or the geographical area is unclear. This study provides the first documentation of aforementioned Salmonella serovars in chicken flocks in Türkiye, underscoring the occurrence of multidrug resistance among these serovars. The identification of rare, multidrug-resistant Salmonella serovars in poultry signifies a potential emerging threat to animal health, food safety, and public health.