Research Note: Identification and characterization of Salmonella spp. in mechanically deboned chickens using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Salmonella is one of the common foodborne bacteria, causing 80.3 million illnesses every year worldwide. This study was conducted to isolate and identify Salmonella enterica serovars from poultry samples responsible for causing foodborne poisoning in the Mississippi area, United States. A total of 55 S. enterica serovars-Enteritidis (6), Oranienburg (1), Schwarzengrund (8), Heidelberg (4), Kentucky (22), 4, [5], 12:i:- (1), Montevideo (2), Infantis (9), and multi serotypes (2)-were isolated from approximately 110 poultry samples. Through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis, 8 to 13 bands were obtained. The profiles showed >90% similarity in strains within the same type. Consequently, PFGE could be a useful tool to determine chromosomal similarity (clonality of strains) that can be used to trace down epidemiologic sources and geographical origins of Salmonella.