Antimicrobial drug resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica in commercial poultry value chain in Chitwan, Nepal.

This study revealed gross contamination of farm environment and subsequent poultry meat samples with NTS serovars that were resistant to several clinically important antimicrobials. Further, inadequacy of even basic biosecurity measures and frequent prophylactic use of antimicrobials in the commercial poultry farms was observed. This reinforces an urgent need to raise awareness and implement proper biosecurity approaches from farms to slaughter houses in order to reduce the burden of NTS contamination of surrounding environment and poultry products. Further, high prevalence AMR among NTS isolates also underscores the need to strengthen the policies to prevent the rampant use of clinically used human antimicrobials in poultry sector.