Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella spp. From Irrigation Water in Two Major Sources in Jordan

Irrigation water could be a direct source of pathogenic microorganisms that contaminates fresh produce and causes human diseases. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence ofSalmonellaspp. and its serotypes Typhimurium and Enteritidis, antimicrobial susceptibility and multidrug resistance (MDR) status, and seasonal variation, ofSalmonellaspp. in irrigation water of King Abdullah Canal (KAC) and Wadi Shueib (WS) in Jordan. The study results demonstrated that 32.2% (29/90) of irrigation water was contaminated withSalmonellaspp. and the irrigation water of WS was found highly contaminated (62.1%) withSalmonellaspp. compared to KAC (37.9%). In addition, higher prevalence ofSalmonellawere recorded in spring (33.3%) and summer (36.3%) seasons, compared to winter seasons. Among the contaminated irrigation water samples, prevalence ofSalmonellaTyphimurium serotype was found in (37.9%) (11/29) samples, whileS.Enteritidis was absent. The most common antimicrobial resistance ofSalmonellaisolates was observed as tetracycline (11/29, 37.9%) and 6 (20.7%)SalmonellaTyphimurium isolates were found multidrug resistance (MDR). Thus, this study results confirmed that the irrigation water was contaminated with pathogenic MDRSalmonellaspp.