Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevalence of Salmonella in Live Bird Markets: A Cross-Sectional Study

The poultry industry of Pakistan holds a substantial economic value, providing bread and butter to 1.5 million individuals and sharing 14% of the national GDP. Poultry diseases, in particular salmonellosis, hinder the advancement and yield of the poultry industry. Salmonella, the microbial culprit behind the disease, is a zoonotic food-borne pathogen and is transmitted through eggs, poultry byproducts, hatcheries, and other environmental factors. Multidrug resistance in Salmonella serotypes has emerged as a pressing public health problem, attributed to the unchecked use of antibiotics in food animals. Salmonella infections can pose notable economic losses to the poultry industry and human health. The immunocompromised individuals, particularly infants and the elderly, encompass the high-risk age groups. Moreover, the shift of the poultry industry towards modernized and intensified farming systems may worsen the issue if not addressed properly. It is, therefore, the need of the hour to implement effective disease control measures, promote responsible antibiotic use, animal husbandry practices, and ensure food safety practices. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Salmonella isolated from live bird markets in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A total of 180 samples, from the live bird markets in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, were analyzed, with 72 samples (40%) testing positive for Salmonella. The prevalence varied across sample types: 28/60 (46.7%) in muscle samples, 26/60 (43.3%) in liver samples, and 18/60 (30%) in cloacal samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed resistance to tobramycin, vancomycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, piperacillin /tazobactam, and oxytetracycline. The isolates showed intermediate susceptibility against gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, while against florfenicol remained sensitive.