Genomic Comparison of Eight Closed Genomes of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Strains Isolated From Broiler Farms and Processing Plants in Trinidad and Tobago

Salmonella enterica is an important foodborne pathogen worldwide. We used long and short-read sequencing to close genomes of eight multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. enterica strains, belonging to serovars Infantis (2), Albany, Oranienburg, I 4,[5],12:i:-, Javiana, Schwarzengrund, and Kentucky from broiler chicken farms and processing plants in Trinidad and Tobago. They also belonged to seven different sequence types (STs- 32, 292, 1510, 19, 24, 152, and 96). Among the strains, seven had demonstrated multi-drug resistance with the presence of at least three AMR genes, whereas three isolates contained the quinolone resistance gene qnr(B19) in plasmids (CFSAN103840, CFSAN103854, and CFSAN103872). The extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes bla(CTX-M-65) (CFSAN103796) and bla(TEM-1) (CFSAN103852) were detected in this study. The genomes closed in this study will be useful for future source tracking and outbreak investigations in Trinidad and Tobago and worldwide.

Automated summary

In this study, long and short-read sequencing were used to close genomes of eight multidrug-resistant strains of Salmonella enterica, which were isolated from broiler chicken farms and processing plants in Trinidad and Tobago. The study identified multiple antimicrobial resistance genes in these strains, highlighting the importance of genome sequencing for source tracking and outbreak investigations.