Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolated from broiler farms, chicken carcasses, and street-vended restaurants in Casamance, Senegal.

This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and distribution of Salmonella on 57 randomly selected broiler farms at the end of the rearing period and in chicken products in urban and periurban areas in Casamance, Senegal, and to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of the Salmonella serovars. Salmonella was detected in chicken feces, on carcass skin, and in muscle on 35.1, 38.6, and 29.8% of farms, respectively. Salmonella was found in chicken meat servings from 14.3% of the 42 street restaurants and in 40.4% of the 285 chicken carcasses examined. The prevalence on skin and in muscle was significantly associated with the detection of Salmonella in feces (P <or= 0.001). Eighteen Salmonella serovars were identified; the most common were Brancaster (57.9%), Goelzau (10.7%), Kentucky (8.4%), and Hadar (7.3%). High levels of resistance were found to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, trimethoprim, streptomycin, and sulfonamides. All Salmonella serovars were susceptible to fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. A large proportion of the isolates belonging to 11 serovars were resistant to two or more antibiotics. Salmonella continues to be of serious concern in the broiler production chain in Senegal.