Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of <i>Salmonella</i> From Bulk Milk at the Dairy Farm Level in Mekelle and Southeast Zones of Tigrai, Ethiopia

Salmonella is recognized as one of the foodborne bacterial infections. The bacterium spreads through contact with animals and ingestion of contaminated foods. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Salmonella from bulk milk at dairy farm level in Mekelle and Southeast Zones of Tigrai, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was carried out from January to June 2025. After taking the consent, sociodemographic, risk factors, and 203 bulk milk samples were collected from the dairy farms. Salmonella was isolated and identified through pre-enrichment, selective enrichment, selective media, and a series of biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the disk diffusion method. Stata v-16 was employed to determine the strength of the factors that associates with Salmonella. The prevalence of Salmonella was six (2.96%). Salmonella positivity showed statistically significant association with farms that don't practice regular udder washing before milking, lack of knowledge about bacterial infections, and do not know that consumption of raw milk cause foodborne illness. Five (83.3%) isolates of Salmonella showed resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline, and four (66.7%) to streptomycin. All Salmonella isolates were susceptible to ceftazidime and cefotaxime. Three isolates of Salmonella showed multidrug resistance. The prevalence of Salmonella was low, but its presence in milk may be considered a potential risk to milk safety. Three Salmonella isolates showed resistance to four and six antimicrobial classes. The finding highlights the need for appropriate hygiene practices and the correct use of antibiotics in the farms.