BackgroundThis study aims to scrutinize Salmonella spp. and its serotypes in sewage sludge samples from wastewater treatment plants, and assesses the presence of virulence genes and antibiotics resistant to the profile. Samples (n = 54) were collected and analyzed in accordance with the EPA Method 1682/2006. For positive serological reaction, 40 strains were selected for PCR analyses and detection of spvC, invA and sseL virulence genes, plasmid presence and resistance to antibiotics.ResultsSalmonella spp. was detected in 38.9% of the samples collected (<0.006473 to 12.19 MPN/gTS). The most prevalent serotype was Salmonella Infantis. All Salmonella spp. (n = 35) presented at least one of the three virulence genes mentioned above and 40% harboured plasmids. Salmonella Typhimurium strains were isolated harbouring at least one of the following virulence genes: spvC, invA or sseL. Four Salmonella spp. isolates were resistant to tetracycline; three were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and one isolate was resistant to ciprofloxacin. Two Salmonella spp. strains presented multi resistance to antimicrobial agents.ConclusionsThe results obtained demonstrated that Salmonella spp. have been found in sewage sludge, thus it is essential to set measures to mitigate human health risks when it is intended to be applied on agricultural soils.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a relevant pathogen involved in gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. In this study, we determined the capacity to combine the most probable number (MPN) and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods to characterize the most important Salmonella serotypes in raw sewage. A total of 499 isolates were recovered from 27 raw sewage samples and screened using two previously described multiplex PCR methods. From those, 123 isolates were selected based on PCR banding pattern-identical or similar to Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium-and submitted to conventional serotyping. Results showed that both PCR assays correctly serotyped Salmonella Enteritidis, however, they presented ambiguous results for Salmonella Typhimurium identification. These data highlight that MPN and multiplex PCR can be useful methods to describe microbial quality in raw sewage and suggest two new PCR patterns for Salmonella Enteritidis identification.