التحري عن التلوث البكتيري باانواع السالمونيلا في لحوم الدجاج المحلية والمستوردة في محافظة كربلاء

Investigations of Bacterial contamination with Salmonella species in local and Imported Chicken Meat in Kerbala Province

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella in chicken meat .including two types of chicken meat , locally slaughteres chicken meat and imported chicken meat. The work started from September /2024 until January /2025.
Collection a total of 120 chicken meat samples were collected from various regions in Karbala City, The samples were divided into two categories with 60 samples locally chickens meat (n=30) and imported chicken meat (n=30), From each chicken, thigh and breast portions were aseptically removed using sterile scalpels and placed into individually labeled sterile bags. All samples were transported under refrigerated conditions (4°C) to the laboratory within 24 hours for subsequent analysis. A total 120 sample were analyzed using conventional culture techniques, biochemical identification and confirmation through the VITEK2system molecular identification was achieved using PCR targeting the 16-SRNAregion which yielded specific amplicon of 1400 bp in positive samples
The result of culture on ( XLD agar)showed the highest percentage of salmonella contamination in locally slaughtered chicken meat (20%) while the lowest percentage of contamination in imported chicken meat(12%)
The bacteriological examination revealed that Salmonella isolates obtained from different broiler production sources belonged to four species, distributed as follows: S. Typhimurium (11 isolates, 52%), S. enteritidis (7 isolates, 33%), S. Goodwood (2 isolates, 10%), and S. senftenberg (1 isolate, 5)
Biochemical identification tests were also performed. The urease test showed no urea hydrolysis. In addition, Salmonella demonstrated gas production and hydrogen sulfide formation in the TSI test, while citrate utilization was confirmed using Simmons citrate medium. The distribution of positive cases showed that the highest occurrence was recorded in the locally chicken meat more than imported chickens meat.
Molecular analysis yielded highly positive results, as a substantial proportion of the Salmonella isolates (16 isolates) carried the targeted genomic region, locally chickens meat was recorded 15% while the imported chicken meat was been 11.5%.
Antibiotic susceptibility testing showed that all isolates (100%) were resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline. A high level of chloramphenicol resistance was also recorded (90.47%). Moderate resistance was observed for ciprofloxacin (32.81%), while doxycycline resistance (52.39%) reflected inconsistent antibiotic use in poultry production. Resistance to nalidixic acid reached 62%, and amikacin resistance was 81%. Among the 21 isolates obtained.
The current study found the PCR assay demonstrated a sensitivity of true positive (TP) was= 16 ,while the false negative=5 .
The finding of this study highlight the widespread presence of Salmonella enterica in meat product available in kerbala local market .The bacterium demonstrated resilience to ability to lived at low to moderate temperatures suggesting their ability to survive even under poor food storage or processing condition .Molecular detection via polymerase chain reaction PCR provided rapid and accurate method for identification and the prevalence data underscore the need for improved hygiene and monitoring practices in food production and distribution system to mitigate public health risks.