Prevalence of antibiotic resistant Salmonella spp. strains in shrimp farm source waters of Nagapattinam region in South India

The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. in the source waters of shrimp farms in the Nagapattinam region of South India was investigated. Water and sediment samples (188 Nos.) collected from 23 natural creeks during December 2018 to April 2019 were examined for Salmonella spp. by conventional and PCR methods. The study indicated 28.7% of water and 25.5% of sediment isolates as Salmonella spp., while PCR test gave positive for 7.44% and 5.15% of the isolates, respectively. The isolates were resistant to sulfonamide (SF), but sensitive to tetracycline (TC), chloramphenicol (CAP), and furazolidone (FZ). PCR amplification of mitochondrial 16S rRNA region identified the highly resistant Salmonella serovar as S. Montevideo, which is an emerging food-borne pathogen. The incidence of antibiotic-resistant S. Montevideo reported for the first time in the natural creeks that supply water for shrimp farms emphasizes the need for regulatory steps to control its prevalence. [Display omitted] •Salmonella contamination was detected in natural creeks, which is the source of water for shrimp farms.•Assessed the presence of Salmonella, particularly in shrimp farms of tropical environment•Specific invA gene was used for molecular confirmation of Salmonella.•Salmonella strains showing highly resistance to antibiotics viz. CAP, FZ is termed as “super bug”.•Salmonella enterica serovar Montevideo, was identified in source water of shrimp farms, which is highly pathogenic.