Prevalence, Serotypes, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella Species in Ready-to-Eat Foods in Erbil, Iraq

Abstract
Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods including sandwiches, pastries, shawarma, and burgers are\r\nwidely consumed and may potentially increase the risk of foodborne infections. This\r\nstudy investigated the prevalence, serovar diversity, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)\r\nof Salmonella spp. in RTE foods collected between January and June 2024 from street\r\nvendors and restaurants across Erbil, Iraq. A total of 350, including 85 sandwiches,\r\n75 pastries, 95 shawarma, and 95 burgers obtained from 115 cafeteria, 120 street vendors,\r\nand 115 restaurants were analyzed. Salmonella was detected in 7.1% (n = 25) of\r\nsamples, with a high contamination in shawarma (8.4%; n = 95), followed by sandwiches\r\n(7.1%; n = 85), pastries (6.7%; n = 75), and burgers (6.3%; n = 95). Street vendors exhibited\r\na higher (9.2%; n = 120) contamination rate compared to the cafeteria (6.9%; n = 115) and\r\nrestaurants (5.2%; n = 115). Among 25 Salmonella isolates, 10 serotypes were identified,\r\nwith S. Anatum (20%) and S. Typhimurium (16%) being the most prevalent. All isolates\r\nwere susceptible to colistin, cefadroxil, and gentamicin, while showing high resistance to\r\nstreptomycin (52%) and levofloxacin (48%). Contamination peaked during the warmer\r\nmonths, particularly in June (15.4%) and May (11.5%), when compared to the other sampling\r\nmonths. These findings highlight significant food safety concerns related to Salmonella\r\ncontamination and AMR in RTE foods, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced hygiene\r\npractices and regulatory oversight especially among street vendors.

Author
Dhary Alewy Almashhadany

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ microorganisms13102225

ISSN
2076-2607

Publish Date: 23-Sep-2025