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410175

Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella Strains from Poultry Farms and Evaluation of Bacteriophage Therapy as a Potential Control Strat

Article

Last updated: 15 Feb 2025

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Abstract

Salmonella infection represents a significant public health threat, particularly within the poultry industry, due to its widespread prevalence and potential for contamination. The rise of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strains has exacerbated this challenge, making the need for alternative control strategies, such as bacteriophage therapy, increasingly urgent. This study aimed to isolate Salmonella strains from poultry farms in six Egyptian governorates and characterize their antibiotic resistance profiles. The strains were further identified using both biological and molecular methods, and their antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated. Bacteriophages specific to Salmonella were isolated, characterized by transmission electron microscopy, and encapsulated in alginate beads for enhanced stability. The efficacy of these encapsulated phages was assessed In Vitro through stability and bactericidal assays, as well as In Vivo via a controlled study involving infected poultry groups. Eighteen Salmonella strains were identified, several of which demonstrated multi-drug resistance, particularly to commonly used antibiotics, such as chloramphenicol and kanamycin. Phage Sal-1, a Myovirus with high specificity against Salmonella, was successfully isolated and encapsulated. In Vitro, encapsulated phages displayed robust stability and effectively lysed the Salmonella strains. In Vivo, phage-treated poultry exhibited significant reductions in bacterial colony-forming units (CFU), especially in water-based phage treatments, which achieved reductions to 10² CFU, compared to 10⁴ CFU in feed-treated groups. Phage-treated groups showed no mortality, and organ histology was comparable to healthy controls, unlike the severe pathological changes observed in untreated and partially recovered antibiotic-treated groups. In conclusion, encapsulated phage therapy proved more effective than antibiotics, both in terms of efficacy and overall systemic recovery. This study underscores the potential of phage encapsulation as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics in combating Salmonella infections in poultry.

DOI

10.21608/eajbsg.2025.410175

Keywords

Antibiotic resistance, Bacteriophage therapy, Phage encapsulation, Poultry, Salmonella

Authors

First Name

Safwat

Last Name

Anan

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Arid Lands Agricultural Graduate Studies and Research Institute, Ain Shams University, PO Box 68 Hadayek Shoubra, Cairo, Egypt.

Email

-

City

Egypt

Orcid

-

First Name

Magdy

Last Name

Madkour

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Arid Lands Agricultural Graduate Studies and Research Institute, Ain Shams University, PO Box 68 Hadayek Shoubra, Cairo, Egypt.

Email

madkour.magdy@gmail.com

City

Egypt

Orcid

-

First Name

Tarek

Last Name

El-Arabi

MiddleName

F.

Affiliation

Department of Agricultural Microbiology Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, PO Box 68 Hadayek Shoubra, Cairo, Egypt.

Email

telarabi@agr.asu.edu.eg

City

Egypt

Orcid

-

Volume

17

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

52846

Issue Date

2025-06-01

Receive Date

2024-12-28

Publish Date

2025-02-08

Page Start

69

Page End

85

Print ISSN

2090-0872

Online ISSN

2090-0880

Link

https://eajbsg.journals.ekb.eg/article_410175.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=410175

Order

410,175

Type

Original Article

Type Code

689

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences, G. Microbiology

Publication Link

https://eajbsg.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella Strains from Poultry Farms and Evaluation of Bacteriophage Therapy as a Potential Control Strat

Details

Type

Article

Created At

08 Feb 2025