Phenotypic and Genomic Assessment of Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Factors Determinants in Salmonella Heidelberg Isolated from Broiler Chickens

<i>Salmonella</i> Heidelberg is frequently found in poultry and poultry products and is associated with antimicrobial resistance strains and infections and mortality in humans. Whole-genome sequencing is used to monitor and understand epidemiological factors related to antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to characterize the phenotypic resistance and sequence the whole genome of <i>Salmonella</i> Heidelberg strains isolated from poultry products in Brazil. Fourteen <i>Salmonella</i> Heidelberg strains isolated from whole broiler chicken carcasses and portions in Brazil between 2013 and 2019 were used in this study. Genus confirmation was performed by polymerase chain reaction. The disk diffusion test was conducted to assess the phenotypical antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains. Whole-genome sequencing was carried out to investigate the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes, plasmids, multilocus sequence typing, and virulence-associated genes. A high frequency of phenotypic resistance to cephalosporins, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides was detected. All strains had mutations in <i>gyrA</i> and <i>parC</i> and contained the genes <i>tet(A)</i>, <i>fosA7</i>, and <i>sul</i>. The presence of genes originating from <i>Yersinia</i> pathogenicity islands was also detected. This study identified a high frequency of antimicrobial resistance in <i>Salmonella</i> Heidelberg strains from broilers slaughtered in different regions of Brazil, all belonging to the same sequence type (ST15) and associated with multiple resistance and virulence genes. The presence of the <i>Yersinia</i> high-pathogenicity island was detected, indicating potential virulence. These findings highlight the importance of continuously monitoring antimicrobial resistance to control and prevent foodborne infections and maintain the efficacy of treatments for human salmonellosis.