Phenotypic and genotypic features of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella enterica isolated from chicken meat and chicken and quail carcasses.

One hundred and twenty-three Salmonella enterica isolated in Italy from chicken meat and carcasses and from quail carcasses were analyzed to determine their levels of antibiotic resistance using antibiograms (phenotypic method) and PCR amplification of antimicrobial resistance-associated genes (genotypic method). The isolates were screened for the ability to grow in the presence of antibiotics (ampicillin, gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline) and for the presence of the following genes: pse-1, ant (3")-Ia, qacEΔI and sul-1, tetA, tetB and tetG. The most frequently isolated serotypes in the sample set were S.