SALMONELLA IN DUCK PRODUCTION CHAIN

Salmonella is the most important foodborne pathogen in poultry production systems and can infect humans via consumption of contaminated food. Duck is an important waterfowl, widely raised in China, is a vehicle that transmits Salmonella through the food supply chain. In this study, samples were collected from each production stage of the duck production chain. Salmonella was isolated and identified, and the isolates were tested for drug sensitivity and molecular typing based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) to understand the prevalence of Salmonella in the duck production chain. The total isolation rate of Salmonella in this study was 25.7% (180/701), among which the hatchery isolation rate was the highest (35.7%), and the slaughterhouse isolation rate was the lowest (9.4%). All isolates were divided into nine serotypes, among which S. Typhimurium and S. Anatum were the dominant serotypes. The former was distributed in various production stages in the duck production chain, and the latter was mainly concentrated in hatcheries. The drug susceptibility test showed that resistance of Salmonella in the duck production chain was low. WGS phylogenetic relationship results based on core-genome SNPs showed that S. Typhimurium can spread across geographic regions and along between different stages of the duck production chain, eventually reaching the market where it is a potential threat to consumer health. This study explored the prevalence of Salmonella in the duck production chain and provided support for further prevention and control of Salmonella.