ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SALMONELLA SPP. FROM BUFFALO MEAT SAMPLES

Salmonella is found worldwide in cattle and is considered as a most important animal related zoonotic disease. Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illness viz. enteric illness. In the present investigation 16 (10.66%) isolates of Salmonella spp. were isolated from 150 buffalo meat samples viz. liver, lung, muscle, intestine and ground beef (30 each), collected from the retail meat market of Anand city, Gujarat. All the 16 isolates of Salmonella spp. isolated from the 150 retail market buffalo meat samples were screened for the presence or absence of virulence associated genes by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All the Salmonella isolates were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing and serotyping. All the 16 isolates of Salmonella spp. revealed presence of the invA, stn and fimA genes. While, 14 (87.5%) of the isolates showed presence of the spvR gene and eight (50%) had the spvC gene. Serotyping of Salmonella isolates revealed that Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium was the only detected serovar. The presence of invasiveness and enterotoxicity of salmonella isolates in buffalo meat samples shows their ability to cause systemic infections and appeared to be a threat to public health.