High Occurrence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-ProducingSalmonellain Broiler Carcasses from Poultry Slaughterhouses in South Korea

Abstract

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant foodborne Salmonella has become a major public health problem. Consumption of undercooked poultry contaminated with Salmonella can induce food poisoning in humans. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella spp. isolated from 120 chicken carcasses produced in 6 poultry slaughterhouses in South Korea. A total of 11 samples (9.2%) were found contaminated with Salmonella: 5 isolates were serotyped as Salmonella Bellevue strain (slaughterhouse C) and 6 isolates were serotyped as Salmonella Enteritidis strain (slaughterhouse E). Salmonella Bellevue isolates were resistant to five antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole), while Salmonella Enteritidis isolates were resistant to nine antibiotics (ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefazolin, cephalothin, amikacin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, and tetracycline). All cephalosporin-resistant Salmonella Enteritidis isolates exhibited the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) phenotype and carried the gene encoding CTX-M-15, the most prevalent ESBL enzyme worldwide. Based on molecular subtyping performed using the automated rep-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system (DiversiLab), the isolates showing ≥ 95 similarity in their rep-PCR banding patterns were classified into 5 pulsotypes. Given that cephalosporins are the drugs of choice for invasive Salmonella infections, the high incidence of ESBL-producing strains in chicken should emphasize the necessity of regular monitoring of the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant ESBL-positive Salmonella strains in poultry meat.

Comparison of the Antimicrobial and Sanitizer Resistance of Salmonella Isolates from Chicken Slaughter Processes in Korea

“…In our study, the overall Salmonella prevalence was 25.8% in chicken slaughterhouses, which was higher than that in Nepal (14.5%), Spain (17.9%), South Africa (19.2%), Brazil (2.7%), or Korea (9.2%, 21.7%) (Chung and others ; Van Nierop and others ; Maharjan and others ; Capita and others ; Medeiros and others ; Chon and others ). However, the overall Salmonella prevalence found in this study was lower to that in Portugal (60%) or Thailand (57%) (Antunes and others ; Padungtod and Kaneene ).…”

“…Our results also showed that 22% of Salmonella isolates tested were ESBL‐producers. Previous studies in Korea have reported that ESBL CTX‐M‐15‐producers account for 9.2% of Salmonella isolates cultured from chicken carcasses of poultry slaughterhouses and 29% of Salmonella isolates cultured from retail chicken meat (Choi and others ; Chon and others ). The prevalence of ESBL‐producing Salmonella isolates in Korea merits further study.…”

Isolation, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile and Detection of Sul1, blaTEM, and blaSHV in Amoxicillin-Clavulanate-Resistant Bacteria Isolated From Retail Sausages in Kampar, Malaysia

“…This is surprising because there have been numerous reports of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in food sources, especially poultry products (27-29). It is also known that resistant Enterobacteriaceae (i.e., salmonellosis) in food can be transmitted within the community (30, 31). The only one ESBL-producing bacteria detected in this study was Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (E3), a non- Enterobacteriaceae that is known to cause meningitis and pneumonia in patients with compromised immune systems (32, 33).…”

Molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella from poultry industries in Korea

“…A high rate of antimicrobial-resistance in Salmonella strains has been reported in Korea [5, 24]. Antimicrobial resistance and virulence of Salmonella strains play an important role in systemic infections with these pathogens [14].…”