Whole-genome sequencing of Salmonella serotypes recovered longitudinally from broiler production, processing, and retailing in Trinidad and Tobago

This study was conducted within 2 months by sampling chicken batches from a broiler farm, a plant processing plant, and supermarket retail. The overall frequency of isolation of Salmonella was 50% (16/32), 17.5% (7/40), and 40% (4/10) for the samples collected from the broiler farm, processing plant, and retail outlet, respectively. Serovar Infantis was the predominantly isolated serovar at the 3 sampling sites. Resistance genes aac(3)IV, aph(4)Ia, blaCTX-M65, and qacEdelta1 were detected in 84.6% (11/13) of the isolates subjected to whole genome sequencing. S. Infantis strains were clustered within and across the 3 sampling sites. This study demonstrates a direct measure of the transmission dynamics of Salmonella during a farm-to-fork approach.

Automated summary

This study conducted a two-month investigation on chicken samples from a broiler farm, a processing plant, and a retail outlet. The study found that the overall frequency of Salmonella isolation was 50%, 17.5%, and 40% at the three sampling sites, respectively. The predominant serovar isolated from the samples collected was Serovar Infantis. Whole genome sequencing detected resistance genes aac(3)IV, aph(4)Ia, blaCTX-M65, and qacEdelta1 in 84.6% of the isolates. The study demonstrated the transmission dynamics of Salmonella from farm to fork.