from Slaughter Age Broiler Chickens: Genetic Characterization, Virulence, and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes.

is a major cause of food-borne human gastroenteritis worldwide and is designated as a high priority antimicrobial-resistant pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). In this study, a total of 26 isolates from broiler chickens were screened for the presence of virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes by PCR. As a result, the study detected 11/26 (42.3%), 9/26 (34.6%), 8/26 (30.8%), 7/26 (26.9%), 6/26 (23.1%), and 6/26 (23.1%) of and virulence genes, respectively, with seven of the isolates carrying more than two virulence genes. The majority of the isolates  = 25 (96.1%) were resistant to nalidixic acid, followed by  = 21 (80.7%),  = 22 (84.6%), and  = 5 (19.2%) for tetracycline, erythromycin, and ciprofloxacin, respectively. Most isolates were harboring I ( = 16; 84.2%), II ( = 15; 78.9%), III ( = 10; 52.6%), IV ( = 2; 10.5%), R ( = 10; 52.6%), B ( = 14; 73.7%), O ( = 13; 68.4%), A ( = 9; 47.4%), ( = 8; 42.1%), and C ( = 2; 10.5%). Meanwhile, (X), (P), and (W) genes were not detected in all isolates. Class I and Class II integrons were detected in 92.3% ( = 24) and 65.4% ( = 17) isolates, respectively. About 31% (8 of the 26 isolates) isolates were carrying more than two resistance genes. According to our knowledge, this is the first study to detect class II integrons in spp. (). The high prevalence of , , , , and genes and antibiotic resistance genes in in this study indicates the pathogenic potential of these isolates. Majority of the isolates demonstrated resistance to nalidixic acid, tetracycline (), and erythromycin (B), which are the drugs of choice for treating infections. Therefore, these findings highlight the importance of implementing an efficient strategy to control in chickens and to reduce antimicrobial use in the poultry industry, which will help to prevent the spread of infections to humans.