Identification of multi drug resistant salmonella strains

Objective: In this study, a total of 217 food samples obtained from various grocery stores and manufacturers found in different regions in Turkey, especially in Ankara, were analysed for presence of Salmonella sp. Salmonella strains used in this study were isolated from the food samples sold in butchers and supermarkets located at different regions. Food samples which are of animal origin are veal (99 samples), mutton (13 samples), chicken (104 samples) and milk samples. Isolated strains were confirmed by biochemical tests. We aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility levels of samples against antimicrobial agents, identified as Salmonella and placed into the culture collection. Method: Presence of Salmonella sp. was analysed according to the method determined by International Standarts Office (ISO6972: 2002). As a result of API 20E tests, totally 41 isolates were identified as Salmonella sp. Antibiotic resistance pattern of the Salmonella strains were revealed by using disc diffusion and critical dilution tests. Results: As a result of study Salmonella isolation was performed with 41 different samples. While the 25% of these 41 isolates were source of veal, the other 75% were source of chicken samples. At the same time all of these tested 41 strains exhibited a multi-drug resistance profile. The highest resistance levels at all tested strains were determined against kanamycin (R>512 μg/mL) and nalidixic acid (R>512 μg/mL) for all strains. Conclusion: The frequency of Salmonella in the chicken meat was found higher compared to the other meat samples offered for sale in the market. These findings suggest the limitate open meat sold, especially the chicken meat, and also points obligation of frequent hygiene controls. Showing the feature of multiple drug resistance of all 41 Salmonella strains isolated from the meat samples offered to the market in Turkey, indicates that how important is this problem for our country. Especially, the uncontrolled use of antibiotics in animal nutrition constitutes the main source of this problem. These results show the need for new strategies for controlling the use of antibiotics in food production.