A spotlight on multidrug-resistant Salmonella in global poultry production

Salmonellosis is among the most common foodborne infections worldwide, posing a significant economic and health burden. Poultry meat is a primary risk factor for human salmonellosis. The mass production and distribution of poultry meat have contributed to the spread of pathogenic Salmonella. Combined with antimicrobial resistance and the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella infections due to animal housing conditions and the excessive and incorrect use of antimicrobial drugs in humans and animals, these factors create new challenges for food safety control. Salmonella shows resistance to several antimicrobial classes, including aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, macrolides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, fosfomycin, and phenicol antimicrobial classes. This resistance is largely due to Salmonella's ability to acquire and transfer resistance genes, showing high potential for dissemination and representing a significant threat to the effective treatment of salmonellosis. Therefore, this narrative review aims to compile and analyze information regarding the distribution of the main MDR Salmonella serovar isolates (excluding Pullorum and Gallinarum) of worldwide poultry production and resistant antibiotic classes, focusing on poultry meat and related products.