Salmonella is an important foodborne bacterium that has become increasingly resistant to critical antimicrobial and disinfectant agents. The aim of this study was to characterize antimicrobial and disinfectant resistance of Salmonella spp. isolated from ducks raised for meat in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand. A total of 694 fecal samples from ducks were collected in 2018. Of which, 85 samples were positive for Salmonella (12.2%), and 12 Salmonella serovars were identified from 125 Salmonella isolates. The Altona serovar was the predominant serotype found in this study (36.5%). All isolates showed resistance to at least one class of antimicrobial, and 23.2% displayed multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. The blaTEM, aadA2, strA, and dfrA12 genes were detected in antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella, whereas the genes within a plasmid-borne qnr family that presented in fluoroquinolone-susceptible Salmonella strains were qnrB (3.8%) and qnrS (1.5%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of benzalkonium chloride (BKC), cetylpyridium chloride (CPC), and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) ranged between 128 and 512 μg/mL, while that of didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) was between 32 and 128 μg/mL. The presences of qacEΔ1, mdfA, sugE(c), sugE(p), and ydgE genes were less prevalent (0.8-1.6%). Taken together, our results indicate that duck is an important source of Salmonella with antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals. Active surveillance programs for antimicrobial and disinfectant resistance in duck production are needed for an early detection of resistance strains of public health importance.
Keywords: Salmonella enterica; antimicrobial resistance; disinfectant resistance; meat-type ducks.