Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #392445
Research Project: Alternatives to Antibiotics and Genomics of Antimicrobial Resistance to Control Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry

Location: Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit

Title: Resistance genes, plasmids, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and phenotypic resistance of Salmonella isolated from slaughtered chickens in Burkina Faso

Author
item McMillan, Elizabeth
item Hiott, Lari
item Jackson, Charlene
item Frye, Jonathan
item KAGAMBEGA, ASSETA - Joseph Ki-Zerbo University
item RAMADAN, HAZEM - Mansoura University
item BOUDA, CAROLINE - Joseph Ki-Zerbo University
item SORO, DANIEL - Joseph Ki-Zerbo University
item SHARMA, POONAM - Oklahoma State University
item GUPTA, SUSHIM - Oklahoma State University
item BARRO, NICHOLAS - Joseph Ki-Zerbo University

Submitted to: Antibiotics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2022
Publication Date: 6/8/2022
Citation: Mcmillan, E.A., Hiott, L.M., Jackson, C.R., Frye, J.G., Kagambega, A., Ramadan, H., Bouda, C., Soro, D., Sharma, P., Gupta, S., Barro, N. 2022. Resistance genes, plasmids, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and phenotypic resistance of Salmonella isolated from slaughtered chickens in Burkina Faso. Antibiotics. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11060782.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11060782

Interpretive Summary: Salmonella is an important human pathogen that causes millions of infections world-wide. Because of international travel and global food imports it is important to study the genetics of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella from countries with no national surviellance system, like Burkina Faso. In this study we investigated the genetics of antibiotic resistance in 102 Salmonella isolates from slaughtered chickens in Burkina Faso. We found that about 1/3 of isolates were multi-drug resistant. Greater than 40% of isolates contained plasmids, a mobile genetic element that could allow for increased spread of antibiotic resistance genes. These results demonstrated that chickens are a source of multi-drug resistant Salmonella in Burkina Faso and caution should be taken by producers and consumers to safely cook and handle chicken meat.

Technical Abstract: The emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in developing countries increases the risk to both the country's residents and the global community due to international travel. It is consequently necessary to investigate antimicrobial resistant pathogens in countries like Burkina Faso, where surveillance data is not available. To study the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella, 102 Salmonella isolated from poultry were subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS) to obtain information on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and other genetic factors. Twenty-two different serotypes were identified using WGS, the most prevalent of which were Hato (28/102, 27.5%) and Derby (23/102, 22.5%). All strains analyzed possessed at least one and up to nine AMR genes, with the most prevalent being the non-functional aac(6')-Iaa, gene followed by the aph(3")-Ib gene. Multi-drug resistance was found genotypically in 36.2% of the isolates for different classes of antibiotics such as Fosfomycin and ß-lactams, among others. Plasmids were identified in 43.1% of isolates (44/102) and 25 plasmids were confirmed to carry AMR genes. The results show the risk of poultry consumption for consumers in Burkina Faso. Due to the prevalence of these drug resistant pathogens, poultry processing and cooking should be performed with attention to prescribed safe handling methods to avoid cross-contamination of poultry products.