This study was undertaken to estimate the antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolated from raw chicken. From November 2003 to April 2004 a total of 120 chicken carcasses were collected from 36 randomly selected sale points (supermarkets, traditional market, poultry slaughter house, flocks) in the urban and periurban zones of Dakar, Sénégal, and examined for the presence of Salmonella. Salmonella was isolated from 75 (62.5%) of the examined samples. Out of the 90 Salmonella isolates obtained, twenty one serotypes were identified, from which the most prevalent were S. Kentuchy 30%, S. Muenster (13.3%), S. Brancaster (8.8%), S. Enteritidis and S. Hadar (6.6%). All Salmonella isolates were tested for their susceptibility to 16 selected antimicrobial agents by the agar diffusion method. Seventy one (78.9%) isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobials. Out of 71 resistant Salmonella isolates, 33 (46.5%) showed multiple resistance to five or more different antimicrobials. Resistance to ampicillin, trimethoprim, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, tetracyclin and sulphonamides was the most frequent. We found 36 different patterns of multiresistant strains. The high level of antibiotic resistance of foodborne Salmonella isolates in the present study is an indication of indiscriminate and continuous use of subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics in animals. Furthermore, the results showed the possible significance of chicken meat as a source of multiple antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella for human infections and suggest the need for detailed epidemiological study.
Salmonella sp; poultry; antimicrobial resistance
