TY - JOUR AU - Mihaiu, Liora AU - Lapusan, Alexandra AU - Tanasuica, Rodica AU - Sobolu, Rodica AU - Mihaiu, Romolica AU - Oniga, Ovidiu AU - Mihaiu, Marian PY - 2014/01/15 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - First study of Salmonella in meat in Romania JF - The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries JA - J Infect Dev Ctries VL - 8 IS - 01 SE - Original Articles DO - 10.3855/jidc.3715 UR - https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/24423712 SP - 050-058 AB - <p class="SmallText">Introduction: The increasing antimicrobial resistance of <em>Salmonella</em> isolates is of major public health concern, but information regarding these aspects is still lacking in Romania. This study focused on a detailed and accurate investigation concerning prevalence, serotypes, and antimicrobial resistance patterns of <em>Salmonella</em> strains, isolated from pork and chicken meat, collected from all regions of Romania in 2011.</p> <p class="SmallText">Methodology: The research was conducted on 650 samples of chicken and pork meat collected from production units and retail markets located in various regions of Romania. A total of 149 <em>Salmonella</em> isolates were recovered (22.92%), serotyped, confirmed by PCR, and further tested for antimicrobial susceptibility.</p> <p class="SmallText">Results: Thirteen <em>Salmonella</em> serovars were identified; predominant serovars included Infantis, Typhimurium, Derby and Colindale. Multiple resistance was found in 83.22% (n = 124) of the isolates. The isolates were frequently resistant to tetracycline (80.53%), streptomycin (81.21%), sulfamethoxazole (87.25%), nalidixic acid (65.10%), and ciprofloxacin (42.95%). Additionally, a markedly lower resistance rate was observed for ampicillin (20.81%), chloramphenicol (16.78%), and ceftazidime (11.41%). Among 137 resistant <em>Salmonella </em>isolates, 35 different resistance patterns were found.</p> <p class="SmallText">Conclusion: A high prevalence of <em>Salmonella</em> spp. and a relatively high resistance rate to multiple antimicrobials was found. This data indicates that chicken and pork meat could constitute a source of human exposure to multidrug-resistant <em>Salmonella</em> and therefore could be considered a potential vehicle of resistant <em>Salmonella</em> foodborne diseases. Further actions are needed to succesfully implement a national surveillance program for better monitoring of these resistant pathogens.</p> ER -