Prevalence and whole genome phylogenetic analysis reveal genetic relatedness between antibiotic resistance Salmonella in hatchlings and older chickens from farms in Nigeria

The presence of Salmonella in hatchlings is the single most important risk factor for the introduc-tion of Salmonella into poultry farms, and resistant strains are particularly worrisome, as they could affect treatment outcomes in humans infected through con-sumption of contaminated poultry products. This study estimated Salmonella prevalence, determined resistance profiles of strains recovered from hatchlings in Nigeria, and determined genetic relatedness between hatchling strains and strains from poultry farms. In this study, 300 fecal samples were collected. Salmonella was isolated by culture and confirmed by PCR, and isolates were tested for susceptibility to antimicrobials by the disk dif-fusion method. Strains were pair-end sequenced, and genomes were used to obtain serotypes and antibiotic resistance genes. Whole-genome based phylogenetic analysis was used to determine genetic relatedness between these isolates and strains from previously char-acterized older chicken within the same geographical area. A prevalence of 10.7% was obtained belonging to 13 Salmonella serovars. Resistance to kanamycin (30/ 32), ciprofloxacin (22/32), nalidixic acid (22/32), and sulfonamides (22/32) were the most commonly observed phenotypic resistances. Twenty-two (68.8%) isolates showed multidrug resistance. In silico predictions identi-fied 36 antimicrobial resistance genes. Four (12.5%) and 22 (68.8%) strains showed point mutations in gyrA and parC. Commonly observed acquired resistance genes included sul1, sul2, sul3, and tet(A) as well as a variety of aminoglycoside-modifying genes. Eleven (34.4%) iso-lates were predicted to have genes that confer resistance to fosfomycin (fosA7, fosB). A strain of S. Stanleyville was predicted to have optrA, which confers resistance to furazolidone. Strains of S. Kentucky, S. Muenster, and S. Menston obtained from hatchlings showed close genetic relatedness by having less than 30 SNPs differ-ence to strains recovered from chickens at farms previ-ously receiving hatchlings from the same sources.

Automated summary

This study investigated the prevalence of Salmonella in hatchlings in Nigeria, with a focus on resistant strains. The study also analyzed the genetic relatedness between hatchling strains and strains from poultry farms. The results showed a high prevalence of Salmonella and a significant presence of multidrug-resistant strains.