Abstract

The present study aimed at the molecular detection of Salmonella species from feces of goats and the characterization of the isolated Salmonella by biochemical and antimicrobial sensitivity techniques. A total of 220 goat feces samples were collected, of which 27 (12.27%) were positive for Salmonella by conventional culture methods and 20 (9.09%) by biochemical and PCR techniques. The prevalence was higher in goats under one year of age (20%), compared to older animals aged one to two years (7.8%) and more than two years of age (4.7%), respectively. Moreover, the prevalence of diarrheic goats was significantly higher (38.46%) than healthy animals (2.76%). DNA was extracted from Salmonella strains and amplified by PCR using the specific primers of Salmonella invasion gene (invA gene). The antibiotic sensitivity test indicated that Ciprofloxacin (100 percent sensitivity), Gentamycin (100 percent sensitivity), and Neomycin (100 percent sensitivity) were the most effective antibiotics for the majority of Salmonella isolates. On the other hand, Salmonella isolates were found to have substantially high resistance to Erythromycin (100%), Amoxicillin (100%), Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (81.48%), Streptomycin (62.96%), and Tetracycline (55.56 percent). Since the rate of Salmonella carriers was relatively high, eating goat meat could increase the risk of foodborne salmonellosis.