Biofilm formation capacity and biofilm-associated genes of different Salmonella serotypes isolated from animal foods: a systematic review and textual analysis

Systematic review to investigate Salmonella serotypes isolated from foods of animal origin and related industrial surfaces, evaluating their biofilm-forming capacity and the biofilm associated genes reported in the literature. The search for primary studies design will be carried out in the following databases: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo. Primary studies published in English, Portuguese and Spanish will be included in all databases. No date restriction will be used. The identified articles will be exported to EndNote for duplicate removal and theresults will be imported into Rayyan software to support a systematic and independent screening process. All steps will be carried out by two independent and blinded reviewers and, in case of disagreements, by a third reviewer. Eligible studies will report biofilm formation and/or related genes in Salmonella from food or processing environments. Data extraction will include sample type, serotype, biofilm intensity (weak, moderate, strong), and reported genes. Given the methodological heterogeneity among studies, no meta-analysis will be performed. Results will be synthesized narratively and organized in descriptive tables. Additionally, textual analysis of article abstracts will be conducted.