Occurrence and antimicrobial resistance profile of Salmonella spp. in calves from the Mesoregion Sertão of Alagoas, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to verify the occurrence of diarrhea and the isolation of strains of Salmonella spp. in diarrheal feces of calves from farms located in the backwoods from the state of Alagoas municipalities, and to characterize the in vitro resistance profile of Salmonella sp. isolated against conventional antimicrobials. The study was carried out with 431 calves from 10 to 90 days old, and 111 diarrheal fecal samples from these calves were analyzed. The samples were sown in enrichment broths and selective culture media and phenotypic and molecular characterization were made. 25.75% (111/431) of the animals had diarrhea. The presence of Salmonella sp. was evidenced in 13.33% (2/15) of the studied establishments. 2.71% (3/111) strains of Salmonella sp. have been isolated and have all been shown to be resistant to Cefotaxime and sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin and Norfloxacin. The occurrence of Salmonella sp. and other infectious agents associated with diarrhea were confirmed in calves in the backwoods from the state of Alagoas. The antimicrobial potential of the tested drugs reinforces the importance of their responsible use in the fight against Salmonellosis in these animals, thus promoting the minimization of cases of bacterial resistance in Brazil and in the world.