Salmonella's Hidden Threat: A Look at Poultry Farms in Jiangxi

Salmonella is a sneaky bacteria that can make people sick. It's often found in raw chicken, which is why it's a big deal in food safety. In Jiangxi province, China, a recent study looked at 1, 800 samples from poultry farms. They found that almost 8 out of 100 had Salmonella. The most common types were Infantis and Enteritidis. These strains are known to cause illness in humans. The study also found that many of these Salmonella strains are resistant to antibiotics. This is a big problem because it makes infections harder to treat. The most common resistances were to amoxicillin and tetracycline. Almost 61 out of 100 of the Salmonella strains were resistant to multiple drugs. This means they can survive even when hit with several different antibiotics. The researchers used a method called Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) to look at the DNA of these bacteria. They found 61 different genes that make the bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Some of the most common ones were aph(3')-Ia, qnrS1, aph(3'')-Ib, and tetA. They also found 24 genes that make the bacteria resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics, which are a type of antibiotic that includes penicillin. These genes can move around and spread from one bacterium to another. This makes the problem even bigger. The study also found that the number of resistance genes and the types of Salmonella varied depending on the year, the farm, and the city. This suggests that the environment and management practices on the farms might be playing a role in the spread of these resistant bacteria. The researchers also found that the Salmonella strains carried genes that make them resistant to heavy metals and biocides. These are chemicals used to kill bacteria. This is concerning because it means the bacteria can survive in environments where these chemicals are used. The study found 145 different genes that make the bacteria more virulent, or able to cause disease. The most virulent strains were Infantis and Enteritidis. These strains also carried the most plasmids, which are small pieces of DNA that can move around and spread resistance genes. The high number of multi-drug resistant Salmonella strains is a serious threat to food safety and public health. This is especially true because these strains carry many mobile genetic elements. These elements can spread resistance genes to other bacteria, making the problem even bigger. It's clear that more needs to be done to improve hygiene on poultry farms. This could help decrease contamination and the spread of these dangerous bacteria.