Prevalence and Antibiogram of Salmonella spp. Isolated from Poultry in Ibadan, South West Nigeria

This study determines the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Salmonella spp. isolated from commercial broiler chickens in Ibadan, Oyo State, located in Nigeria's South West geopolitical zone. Non-typhoidal Salmonella infection in poultry is a major source of food-borne illness in humans, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains in poultry populations represents an escalating public health threat. Using a cross-sectional design, cloacal swabs were collected from 300 broiler chickens from 15 commercial farms in Ibadan metropolis. Standard bacteriological procedures were employed for Salmonella isolation and identification, including pre-enrichment, selective enrichment on Rappaport-Vassiliadis broth, plating on XLD agar, and biochemical confirmation. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method against a panel of 12 clinically relevant antibiotics. Salmonella was isolated from 23 percent of sampled birds. Multidrug resistance, defined as resistance to three or more antibiotic classes, was detected in 61 percent of isolates. High rates of resistance to tetracycline (78%), ampicillin (72%), and sulfonamides (65%) were recorded. Sensitivity to ciprofloxacin and gentamicin remained relatively high. The study underscores the urgent need for antimicrobial stewardship in the Nigerian poultry sector and recommends regular sentinel surveillance of Salmonella resistance patterns as part of a One Health monitoring programme. Keywords: Salmonella, poultry, antimicrobial resistance, Ibadan, food safety.