Salmonella and antimicrobial resistance in broilers: A review

Salmonella enterica is a zoonotic pathogen which can readily pass from animal to man through the consumption of contaminated food. The prevalence of Salmonella enterica associated with poultry and poultry meat products has been well-documented and this prevalence has both public health and economic implications. The estimated total cost for nontyphoidal Salmonella is in excess of 14 billion dollars/year in the United States alone. Almost 41,930 cases of nontyphoidal foodborne salmonellosis are confirmed annually with an estimated total number of 1 million cases of foodborne salmonellosis not reported. The emergence of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella recovered from meat products has heightened concerns regarding antimicrobial use in food animal production. This review will cover the history and taxonmy of Salmonella enterica, Salmonella in poultry and poultry products, colonization factors, transmission, detection and characterization, antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, mechanisms of resistance in Salmonella by class, transmission of antimicrobial resistance, and the global implications of antimicrobial resistance.