Prevalence, genotypic characterization, and antimicrobial resistance of poultry-associated Salmonella isolates across four geographical zones of West Bengal, India.

Authors

Sharadindu Shil, Shankari Prasad Datta, Ashish Khatua, Kasturi Mondal, Aditya Maity, Srijita Nath, Jayanta Chowdhury, Amar Krishna Das, Anusuya Debnath

Published in

Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology]. Volume 57. Issue 1. Nov 11, 2026. Epub Nov 11, 2026.

Abstract

Salmonella contamination of poultry is a critical food safety and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) concern at the human-animal-environment interface. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence, serovar distribution, multidrug resistance (MDR) profiles, genotypic resistance determinants, and biofilm-forming capacity from commercial slaughter poultry across four zones of West Bengal, India. A total of 300 biological samples (faecal, caecal, meat; 25 per sample type per zone) were collected from 20 slaughterhouses across Burdwan, Midnapore, Nadia, and South 24 Parganas. Culture-based prevalence was 32.7% (98/300; 95% CI: 27.6-38.2%); significant zone-wise heterogeneity was observed (χ² = 13.64, df = 3, p = 0.003), with Nadia recording the highest prevalence (46.7%). No significant sample-type effect was detected (p = 0.192), consistent with systemic gut-to-carcass contamination. Of the 98 culture-based presumptive Salmonella isolates, 37 were confirmed as Salmonella by invA and serovar-specific gene amplification, among which 21.6% were identified as S. Typhimurium, 24.3% as S. Enteritidis, and 54.1% remained untypable. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed universal resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate and doxycycline; co-trimoxazole resistance was 86.5%, neomycin 75.7%, levofloxacin 43.2%, and enrofloxacin 40.5%; MDR was present in 91.9% (34/37). Sanger sequencing of gyrA QRDR from 20 field isolates confirmed Asp87Tyr (n = 1) and Ser83Leu (n = 2); qnrS and sul1 were identified in 5 and 3 isolates, respectively. Biofilm formation was present in 91.9% (strong 21.6%, moderate 51.4%, weak 16.2%; Kruskal-Wallis p = 0.518). These findings reveal an alarming convergence of high Salmonella prevalence, MDR, and WHO-critically important antimicrobial resistance in West Bengal slaughter poultry, with direct implications for food safety and One Health AMR surveillance.

PMID:
43013205
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Nov 2026.

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