Genomic insights into the prevalence and genetic diversity of Salmonella in chicken eggs in Saudi Arabia

The findings demonstrate dual contamination pathways in eggs: external contamination linked to environmental handling factors and internal contamination associated with serovars of greater clinical relevance and elevated AMR gene burden. The detection of multidrug resistance determinants highlights the risk of horizontal transmission of resistance elements across foodborne bacteria.These results underscore the importance of integrating genomic surveillance into national food safety systems to strengthen risk assessment, guide targeted control measures, and support antimicrobial resistance monitoring. Within the Saudi context, implementing WGS-based surveillance aligns with One Health principles and enhances preparedness against emerging foodborne AMR threats.