The temporal dynamics of antimicrobial-resistant <i>Salmonella enterica</i> and predominant serovars in China

Abstract

<i>Salmonella enterica</i> is one of the most common bacterial pathogens in humans and animals. Systematic studies on the trends and geographical distribution of antimicrobial-resistant <i>Salmonella</i> and dominant serovars have been well studied in European and American countries while not in China. Here, taking the One-Health strategy, we used >35 000 <i>Salmonella enterica</i> isolates to explore the temporal and spatial dynamics of dominant serovars in China. We found that <i>Salmonella</i> Typhimurium was the dominant serovar causing human infection in China, which was consistent with Australia but inconsistent with North American and European countries. The proportion of <i>Salmonella</i> serovars Typhimurium, London, Rissen, Corvallis, Meleagridis, Kentucky, and Goldcoast showed an increasing trend during 2006-2019. We randomly selected 1962 isolates for comparative genomics and antimicrobial resistance studies and found that the number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) per isolate increased 1.84 and 2.69 times of human and non-human origins, respectively, spanning 14 years. The proportion of antimicrobial-resistant <i>Salmonella</i> isolates had an increasing trend during 2006-2019, especially beta-lactam, quinolone, tetracycline, and rifampicin resistance. Moreover, we found that higher diversity of sequence types (STs) in <i>S</i>. Typhimurium than in other serovars, ST34 from pig and ST19 from chicken origin, were mainly associated with isolates causing child and adult gastro-infection, respectively. Our results fill in the data gap on the trends of dominant serovars and antimicrobial resistance of <i>Salmonella enterica</i> in China. These data provide useful information for public health decision-makers prioritizing interventions for foodborne diseases and food safety.