Comprehensive analysis of Salmonella in poultry meat and products in Türkiye: Prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility and genomic characterisation

The study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of Salmonella isolated from raw chicken meat and products. For this purpose, a total of 293 samples were collected, including chicken breast (n = 90), skinned drumstick (n = 80), skinned chicken chop (n = 42), wing (n = 32), chicken offal (n = 27) and chicken patty (n = 22). The samples were subjected to Salmonella enterica. detection and the obtained suspicious isolates were confirmed by conventional PCR. Their phenotypical antibiotic resistance profiles were subsequently determined. The prevalence of Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium serovars among S. enterica isolates were investigated using TaqMan probe Real-Time PCR (qPCR) analysis, and the detected serovars were evaluated with whole genome sequencing. In the study, 112 (38.22%) of the 293 chicken samples contained S. enterica, with five (4.46%) and one (0.89%) of the isolates identified as Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium, respectively. Antibiotic resistance analysis revealed that all isolates were sensitive to Meropenem and Aztreonam, while the most resistant antibiotics were Doxycycline (96.42%) and Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (71.42%). Whole genome sequencing, specifically SNP-based phylogenetic analyses, indicated that Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium isolates were distinct clones. All Salmonella Enteritidis isolates shared the same antigenic profiles (9: g, m:-) and cgMLST types of 11, while the Salmonella Typhimurium isolate had cgMLST type 19 and a 4:i:1,2 antigenic profile. It was observed that the phenotypic resistance profiles of the isolates were consistent with the whole genome characterisation. The data obtained in the study reveal the continued importance of Salmonella monitoring for the poultry industry across different regions of Türkiye to maintain food safety. Chicken meat and products are indispensable to public health in providing healthy nutrition and access to animal protein. The microbiological and epidemiological risks observed in mass production can be minimised, particularly by integrating epidemiological and molecular findings with an effective strategy.