Screening of poultry eggs for the presence of ESBL resistant Salmonella from Chennai

Rose, T.F. Amal, Varan, A., Kannan, Porteen, Yuguda, Muhammad Umar, Ezhilvalavan, S. and Omprakash, A.V. 2020. Screening of poultry eggs for the presence of ESBL resistant Salmonella from Chennai. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 55(2): 151–155.

Salmonella is a major food-borne pathogen and poultry being a primary source of infection due to the consumption of contaminated eggs and meat. In the present study, a total of 250 samples, 50 each of egg washings, shell membrane, albumen, yolk and egg tray swabs were collected in and around organized poultry farms in Chennai. The samples were screened for presence of Salmonella by standard conventional protocols and were further evaluated to detect the presence of ESBL resistance by phenotypic (Disc Placement method) and genotypic methods (PCR targeting 3 different ESBL resistance genes viz., CTX-M, SHV and TEM). The prevalence of Salmonella was recorded at 11.6% (29/250) and sample wise prevalence rate was 22% in egg washings (11/50), 20 % in egg tray swab (10/50), 8% in shell membrane and albumen (4/50) and 0% in yolk, respectively. The disc placement method revealed that all the 29 Salmonella isolates showed multiple mechanisms of resistance. PCR assay revealed that the prevalence of Salmonella ESBL resistance was 27.58% (8/29) for CTX-M, 58.61% (17/29) for SHV and 89.65% (26/29) for TEM. ESBL antibiotic resistance in Salmonella isolates from the present study indicates that the isolates from the study area were resistant to the antibiotics, which may have the potential of transferring the antibiotic resistance gene to other enteric pathogens. Hence, an appropriate intervention strategies need to be devised at both farm level and retail outlets to ensure the food safety.