Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the extent of Salmonella contamination in retail chicken carcasses within Alexandria, Egypt, while also identifying the specific serotypes present. The research addresses the scarcity of comprehensive data concerning Salmonella distribution and its phenotypic attributes in chicken meat across the Alexandria Governorate. A total of sixty raw chicken carcass samples were randomly acquired from six different markets in Alexandria. Detection of Salmonella spp. was conducted based on standard culture techniques, biochemical analyses, and serological tests. The results revealed an overall occurrence of 33.3% in Salmonella contamination. The most prevalent serotypes were S. typhimurium and S. kentucky. Among the sampled chicken carcass components, the liver and gizzard exhibited the highest contamination rates at 60% each, followed by the neck at 50%, and the wing at 30%. Conversely, no traces of Salmonella were detected in the heart and small intestine samples. This absence could be attributed to the administration of antibiotics in poultry feeds at the farm level. Analysis of various markets highlighted differing contamination rates; Asafra, Alabrahimih, and Mansheya registered the highest rates at 60%, 40%, and 40% respectively. In contrast, Borg El Arab and Amriya experienced lower rates with both displaying a 30% contamination level. Intriguingly, a supermarket within Alexandria showed no presence of Salmonella spp. The study underscores substantial carcass contamination during the market handling phase, emphasizing the need for intervention strategies from relevant stakeholders to mitigate these contamination impacts.