OCCURRENCE OF SALMONELLA SEROVARS IN FOODS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ANTIBIOGRAM AND ENTEROTOXIGENICITY

A total of 920 samples comprising poultry and poultry products (500), frozen fish (120), and milk as well as milk products (300) were examin ed for the presence of Salmonella. Highest level of Salmonella contami nation of 10.52% was detected in dressed frozen chicken, while Salmone lla was not isolated from any of the samples of chicken-sausage, quail meat, raw milk or cheese. Antibiogram of the isolates indicated maxim um resistance to triple sulphas (86.66%), followed by sulphonamide com pounds (66.66%), trimethoprim (53.33%), ampicillin, streptomycin and n itrofurantoin (33.33% each), tetracycline (22.66%), chloramphenicol, g entamicin and kanamycin (6.6% each). All the isolates were sensitive t o neomycin. Among 18 isolates, 11 (61.1%) were enterotoxigenic, as ind icated by rabbit-ligated-ileal-loop technique.