Isolation and Antimicrobial Resistance Phenotype of Salmonella species from Ready-to-Eat Roasted Meat (Suya) in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Salmonella are pathogenic bacteria that can contaminate food products during or after processing. They are among the most important food borne pathogens worldwide contaminating a wide range of animal products including meat products. Human illnesses due to this pathogen are attributed to poor biosecurity in production and improper processing/handling of meat and meat products. This is more likely where surveillance and regulatory control are weak. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, like roasted meat (Suya) in Ilorin, do not undergo any treatment to ensure its safety before consumption, therefore the risk of food borne disease occurrence must be considered if these pathogens are present in the food. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Salmonella in Suya in Ilorin, Nigeria. A total of 102 Suya samples were collected and analysed for the presence of Salmonella. Samples were obtained from 5 major markets, consisting of a total of 15 Suya retail outlets. Organism isolation and identification were done using conventional methods. Confirmation of suspected isolates was done using Microbact GNB 24E. Five  samples (4.9%) were positive for Salmonella. Confirmed Salmonella isolates were evaluated in vitro for susceptibilities to 12 commonly used antimicrobial agents. All (100%) of the confirmed Salmonella isolates exhibited multiple resistance to at least 3 antibiotics and exhibited five antimicrobial resistance phenotypic patterns. The classes of antibiotics they were resistant to are: aminoglycosides, cephalosporin, penicillin and tetracycline. The isolation of Multiple Drug Resistant (MDR) Salmonella species in this study makes Suya potential vehicle for the transmission of Salmonella. Effort should be made to sensitize producers of Suya on the potential risk of the product being vehicles for the transmission of food borne pathogens and the need to maintain high level hygiene during production. The public should be educated to only patronize reliable Suya joints. Constant research work should be carried out to evaluate the level of contamination of ready to eat foods like Suya in order to be able to take informed decisions.