Characterization of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella enterica serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium isolates from animal and food in Southern Italy.

In the last two decades, the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, among them Salmonella, has become a serious health hazard worldwide, and specifically the high incidence of multidrug resistance has been encountered widely in many European countries. This study examines the antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella enterica strains Typhimurium and Enteritidis isolated in Campania and Calabria region (Southern Italy) from animal and food of animal origin. The relationship of antibiotic resistance phenotype and the presence of some resistance genes has been also investigated. As expected, our results show that resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamides and tetracycline is common, although resistance to other antibiotics (i.e.: nalidixic acid) and other resistance patterns occur. The genetic resistant patterns have been partially described for this food-borne pathogen but efforts are needed to realize the complete characterization of antimicrobial resistance genes.