Antibiotic resistance in Salmonella spp. isolated from poultry: A global overview

Salmonella enterica is the most important foodborne pathogen, and it is often associated with the contamination of poultry products. Annually, Salmonella causes around 93 million cases of gastroenteritis and 155,000 deaths worldwide. Antimicrobial therapy is the first choice of treatment for this bacterial infection; however, antimicrobial resistance has become a problem due to the misuse of antibiotics both in human medicine and animal production. It has been predicted that by 2050, antibiotic-resistant pathogens will cause around 10 million deaths worldwide, and the WHO has suggested the need to usher in the post-antibiotic era. The purpose of this review is to discuss and update the status of Salmonella antibiotic resistance, in particular, its prevalence, serotypes, and antibiotic resistance patterns in response to critical antimicrobials used in human medicine and the poultry industry. Based on our review, the median prevalence values of Salmonella in broiler chickens, raw chicken meat, and in eggs and egg-laying hens were 40.5% ( interquartile range [IQR] 11.5-58.2%), 30% (IQR 20-43.5%), and 40% (IQR 14.2-51.5%), respectively. The most common serotype was Salmonella Enteritidis, followed by Salmonella Typhimurium. The highest antibiotic resistance levels within the poultry production chain were found for nalidixic acid and ampicillin. These findings highlight the need for government entities, poultry researchers, and producers to find ways to reduce the impact of antibiotic use in poultry, focusing especially on active surveillance and finding alternatives to antibiotics.